Without doubt, one of the oddest Essence Of Culture (E.O.C.) works, sans the dreary dark hues of the 1980s (from 1985), with an understated beauty even, and with a much more structured veneer, this one stands out. It is as if a swathe of divine light, couched in silver and gold, has given Awang Damit Ahmad's encrusted skein a precious quality. What inspires this ecstasy, to stray from his usual duller palette of red, blue, yellow, brown and black? What makes this piece more precious: there is a scarecrow in this E.O.C. An extremely rare and good work. It shows that scarecrow subject / concept has been creeping in Awang Damit's mind subconsciously, until he releases it freely in his Garismega series. His E.O.C. tells about Man's struggles against, and affinity for, Nature, and the imperative of striking a balance, and in doing so, experiencing a new spiritual understanding about life. The E.O.C. alludes to the plants, fishes, implements and the fertile black soil of Kuala Penyu, an impoverished community of farmers and fishermen where Awang Damit hailed from. Clearly, more sophisticated, it stems from the new knowledge and exposures gained from his Masters studies at the Catholic University in Washington in 1990. The transition of Awang Damit Ahmad from fisherman-farmer to an artist-academician at the late age of 27 is one of the most phenomenal in Malaysian Art. After his studies at the Mara Institute of Technology, now a university, he received his Masters at the Catholic University in Washington. He taught at UiTM, and retired as Associate Professor at ITM in May 2011. His accolades include the Major Award in Salon Malaysia III, the Minor Award in the Bakat Muda Sezaman and 2nd Prize in the Malaysian Bank Association art competition. On the international scene, he won the Gold Award in the Ecorea Jeonbuk Biennale and the Olympic Fine Art in London, both in 2012. He catapulted into the elite when he was chosen to exhibit in the Contemporary Paintings of Malaysia exhibition at the Asia-Pacific Museum in Pasadena in 1988. In the July 2022 Henry Butcher Art Auction, Awang Damit's painting from the E.O.C. series realised RM 218,400. His works were on display at the Art Seasons booth (in collaboration with Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers) in the prestigious Art SG 2026, and received good feedback from visitors.