One of the most sought after female artists, Indonesian Christine Ay Tjoe expresses thematic concerns of longing, social anxiety, religion and personal evolution. Within these two earlier works Tanah Mati (Dead Earth) (Lot 479) and AKU 1 (Lot 480), Ay Tjoe's mastery in rendering human forms through minimalistic lines and shading can be clearly seen. Using a mixture of paint, graphite, ink and dry-point, the figurative details are precise and meticulous, employing a mainly monochromatic and earth-toned color scheme.

Tanah Mati (Dead Earth) shows a mother nursing a baby, while in the background another young woman and an older child are depicted. The elongated spindly limbs and wispy hairs on the figures appear to suggest a time of worry and famine, supported by the title which creates the vision of a bleak and barren environment. However Christine Ay Tjoe is not only concerned with physical states but also a sense of spiritual aridity - what occurs when one's existential situation is not sufficient to feed the soul.

AKU 1, meaning 'I' or 'myself' can be perceived as the artist's self-portrait. However there are in fact two figures depicted, leaning against each other in a loose embrace underneath a sheltering canopy. They could be a pair of friends, or lovers, but are most likely two halves of the artist's own personality. Ay Tjoe deals with the interaction between the different facets of one's identity and personality; revealing how, as humans, we all alternately struggle with or shelter our hidden innermost thoughts, desires and fears.