A vibrant piece by Jalaini Abu Hassan titled Pisang Emas Di Bawa Belayar dated 1999 depicting a comb of bananas, sailboats, bird cage, and lotus pod among other objects in the artist’s signature style is also on offer. The title derived from the Malay folk song ‘Rasa Sayang’ popular in the Southeast Asian region. The work is also imbued with the spirit of an old Malay Poem, Pisang Emas Dibawa Belayar. According to traditional customs, the humble lady finger banana is a staple food source brought on to ships during the beginning of voyages. The notion of sailing represents an index of risking one’s fate in order to venture out into the world in search of opportunities and wealth. The poem reads: Pisang emas dibawa belayar, Masak sebiji di atas peti; Hutang emas boleh dibayar, Hutang budi dibawa mati. Warm translucent washes of orange and yellow, and a brown section on the left are carefully blended and layered to evoke an expressive luminous effect. The use of compressed charcoal for the treatment of shadows in the painting enhances the textural variations and spatial depth. Jailaini Abu Hassan shapes iconic narratives by creating a contrasting duality of placing local cultural references in a contemporary and international context. His compelling array of work offers insights into the realities of the changing socio economic and political landscape of the region. Jai’s endless experimentations in mark making processes utilize various mediums such as bitumen, synthetic material and stain marks. Through presentation of diverse themes and approaches, he has continually challenged the conventional genre of representational painting. After obtaining his B.A in Fine Art at the Mara Institute of Technology in 1985, Jai pursued his MA at the Slade School of Fine Art at the University College of London, and continued to complete his MFA at the Pratt Institute in New York. He is currently a lecturer and PhD Candidate (Studio Practice Research in Painting) based at the UiTM, Shah Alam, Selangor. His awards include the First Prize in the Young Contemporaries Competition held by the National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur in 1985, First Prize (Gold Award) held by the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Art Competition, Malaysia in 1991, and the Rado Switzerland Commission Award in 2005. His solo exhibition in New York entitled Bangsawan Kebangsaan was presented by Tyler Rollins Fine Art in 2011. He also exhibited in Being Human: Figuratism of 16 Malaysian Artists, along with members of The F Klub at Art Stage Singapore and White Box Publika in 2015. His latest solo exhibition titled Painting Industry was presented by Equator Art Projects with the curation of Tony Godfrey and showcased at Gillman Barracks Singapore.