Ay-O's refined paintings and prints constitute a more traditional aspect of studio practice; however, he was also active in the production of thematic boxed assemblages. These works, often called 'finger boxes', relate to the artist's interest in tactile sensation, in addition to his concept of 'sculpture from the inside': ideas which critique the notion of monumentality.

The title of this etching, Put finger in hole, participates in this project by the inclusion of an actual hole in the work's surface. Clearly paradoxical, the artist's invitation to penetrate the surface of a wall-mounted work is open also to sexual innuendo.