Fragile Assets – Noor Zahran

Noor Zahran
82 x 132cm
Coloured Pencil on Paper
2025
Agar agar pudding, a colourful dessert familiar across Malaysian cultures, becomes a metaphor for property ownership and the fragility of economic aspiration. Each pudding represents a personal asset, while the seedling atop symbolises hope and growth.
A single broken pudding, spilling its contents, hints at the emotional and financial strain involved in the pursuit of stability. By choosing a sweet, joyful treat often shared in celebration, the artist highlights how deeply social and economic values are embedded in everyday consumption. Fragile Assets playfully questions how cultural identity and personal worth are shaped not only by what we own, but what we hope to own, even through something as symbolic as dessert.