Comedian (A.R.T.)

sketchfab

Dr Iskandar’s references are diverse, drawing from literature, music, film and popular culture. Enjoying comedies in Malay as well as English, it is not surprising that he named this vessel ‘Comedian’. He has cheekily bracketed the acronym ‘A.R.T.’ in titling this work - his insider joke that the art world is often one big comedy. Dr Iskandar’s Comedian alludes to the alabastron form with its characteristic feature of a wide, flat lip at its top. The alabastron was famous in the ancient world for storing perfumed oils and was named after the smooth material of alabaster. Here, Dr Iskandar has given the alabastron a contemporary twist, using his ‘exposed coil’ and resist techniques that produce grooves, textures and criss-crossing lines on its surface. Its shape and visible ‘coil’ patterns indicate that this is a hand-built vessel, rather than a wheel-thrown one.