Working Hands

This series focuses on local Indonesians around spots in Jakarta, Indonesia. The intentionally unfinished compositions, with figures more detailed and backgrounds more abstract, bring focus to the humanity of these individuals and the honest work their lifestyle delivers. On top of that, it emphasizes the importance of working people and the rich diversity of products they prepare and sell to visitors. Incomplete environments offer viewers a unique opportunity to visually explore the surroundings through color and shape as clues.

Originally intended to be a figure drawing, observational project, this piece taught me the importance of titles and storytelling to convey a rather self-explanatory scene, as well as to appreciate the things that we often take for granted. Having to observe and draw out each element in the scene, such as different fruits, plastic, and the band-aid, allows me to pay attention to things often overlooked–the in-season fruits and the cut on the fishmonger’s finger. The act of observation and looking became a form of respect as I acknowledged the labor, care, and quiet endurance embedded in their everyday work. This piece shifted my understanding of observational work from simply recording what I see to recognizing human stories through details and fleeting moments.

In Rolling Profit, I used additional photographic reference of a street vendor pushing a large cart full of fruits and vegetables through a rural neighborhood right next to where my high school is located. What stood out to me and made this scene fun to draw was the seller’s joyous facial expression that I was challenged to replicate. Her joy signifies the happiness that a simple, honest life can bring. 

The next piece in this series is Oiled Earnings, where a local vendor cooks ‘Kerak Telor’, a traditional snack made out of glutinous rice cooked with chicken or duck eggs, shredded coconut, dried shrimp, and spices. This was sketched out in the heart of Kota Tua, a significant tourist site that contains the historical remnants of the Dutch East Indies (VOC) colonial era. The subject sits on a small, uncomfortable, plastic stool, preparing a local delicacy. The cloth around the seller’s neck is used to wipe off his sweat in the tropical heat and splatters from the hot oil. This further shows the locals’ dedication to upholding Indonesia’s rich cultural identity despite the unglamorous and even uncomfortable nature of such humble occupations.

Lastly, Net Worth depicts a bright and early day in a traditional wet market. The fishmonger meticulously sets up her seafood stall. The orange band-aid on her thumb is evidence of the occupational hazard that comes with slicing and preparing her products on a daily basis. Once her composition is prepared, the impermanence of her hard work must begin again early the next morning.

Working Hands, 2024, Watercolor & Prismacolor on paper, 11” x 15”