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Jai, as Jalaini Abu Hassan is better known, completed this work in 1998, four years upon returning to Malaysia after obtaining his second Masters at Pratt Institute, New York. The work shows another side of his oeuvre, instead of his usual theme of Malay culture, where the artist chose a man-made paper boat, a popular childhood plaything, as the subject matter.

New York represents a significant time and place to Jai, where he learnt to break the conventions and embrace spontaneity. It was where he began painting with bitumen, which has since became his principle media. Jai returned to New York in April 2011 with his solo exhibition Bangsawan Kebangsaan, after over 10 years since his first solo exhibition there.