Matthew Peter is blessed with a talent for restoring religious statues. He has repaired more than 600 figurines in over 30 years, for churches and Christian families throughout Malaysia. His work ranges from reconstructing tiny nativity scenes to touching-up life-sized statues made from marble, wood and porcelain.

Peter finds great satisfaction in giving the ageing figurines a facelift. “Religious statues are devotional items in Catholic churches and homes. In churches, people are baptised and couples exchange marital vows in front of holy statues. So these icons need to be preserved in mint condition,” he says.

Peter's interest in restoration began as a hobby in the 1980s. He started by mending broken furniture and carving wooden key chains, before picking up skills like copper tooling, tile painting and enamel work.

“I got into reconditioning religious statues later,” he says, adding that he inherited his artistic talent from his mum, Olive Margarett Theresa, now 80 years old.