The series continues Riyadi’s explorations in bringing together opposing contexts within one composition. In the past, he painted portraits with elements of comical characters, but here he focuses on the tension between the natural and artificial. Still-life painting has long been used to remind people of the shortness of life through, for example, withered flowers or bitten fruits. In a similar manner, Riyadi approaches this by showing marks of human presence through the clay’s pinched surfaces, also with traces of touch, wear, stains, scratches, and patina. Clay, a material that comes from soil, symbolises both beginnings and endings, reminding us of the cycles of life and loss.