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LITERATURE
Odyssey, Tew Nai Tong Retrospective (Exhibition: Tew Nai Tong Retrospective, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2007, Curator: Tan Tong)

The bustle of a market scene is one of Tew Nai Tong’s favourite subjects, especially in a wider picture format with lots of activity. Morning Market shows three close-ups of women, one walking away from viewer, balancing the produce to be sold on their cloth headgear. The title tells the story. It also ties in with Tew’s paean to the industrious Asian women in ordinary economic activity without any national or ethnic specificity. Here, the nonchalant looks of the two youthful women in front suggest a routine ritual.