PHOTO ART EXHIBITION : ARTWORKS QR CODE #5

CURATOR NOTES:

This colored photograph portrays the late king, Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah who is standing in front of a car with its own intricate design similar to a Cadillac with white wall tires closely toned to the roof of the car, showcasing a design trend unique to cars in Malaya in the 1940s.

In the picture, the late king is seen to glance at a distance, as if observing a view whilst holding a camera, highly probable in search of a mood or environment to capture. He is situated at the foreground of cloudy blue skies that dominates a large part of the composition. Based on the connotation within the archive, this piece was taken at the Sungai Besi Airport in 1948.

BACKGROUND & EXTERNAL DATA

ABOUT SUNGAI BESI AIRPORT

The Sungai Besi Airport is known to be the Federation of Malaya first airport that began construction in the 1930s. The airport was expanded in 1948 and had several buildings erected in 1956.This airport no longer serves as an international airport for commercial flights since 1965, as it had been turned into an air base for the Malaysian Royal Air Force. Its function as an international airport was taken over by the Sultan Abdul Aziz Airport until 1999. To this day, since 1999, the function as an international airport of Malaysia is now transferred to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.