This small and graceful painting represents the best qualities of Hamir Soib’s work. Set atop a plain surface lies a porcelain bowl, dramatically positioned against a dark background. Though losing part of its charm due to various chips on the surface, the artist has emphasized the delicate nature and luminosity of the porcelain. The beauty in imperfection adds allure to the visually simple yet meaningful composition. The bowl shown here has a wide mouth with an intricate dragon motif depicted on the left. Through the intensity of the blue and elegant form, this striking image captures the viewer’s attention with its bold color contrasts and effortless execution. Hamir Soib, a late bloomer among the founding members of the cult Matahati group, is known for his works with sharp socio-political commentary about issues and events at home. He founded The Gudang warehouse art space in 2002 and he held his first solo at The Gudang in 2005. He is also active in theatre and film productions, besides painting. He won the Best Art Director award with Zuraini Anuar in Erma Fatima’s Perempuan Melayu Terakhir in the 14th Malaysia Film Festival. In 2005, he won the Incentive Award in the Shah Alam Gallery Open. Hamir was a finalist in the Sovereign Art Award Hong Kong in 2007. As a Matahati icon, he was from the same ‘Class of 91’ graduation from the Mara Institute of Technology. He won a Consolation Prize in the Dokumentasi Kemiskinan competition in 1990. In May 2017, Hamir held a successful solo called the self-explanatory Small Works at the Segaris Art Centre in Kuala Lumpur.