Bahagian Dapur, Siang Malam, Luar Dalam (Bhg. 1)(Kitchen Corner or How a Housewife Makes Do, Pt. 1)

Ismail Hashim (1940-2013) was an artist and educator who became an important figure in art photography in Malaysia. He was known particularly for his hand-tinted gelatin silver prints, rich in detail of the everyday humdrum and are often imbued with humour and irony in their titles. Ismail started taking art photography seriously in 1973, when he met his lecturer Robert Crock in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang. Bahagian Dapur: Siang Malam, Luar Dalam (Bhg. 1 and 2) are a pair of photographs that form a diptych inviting a curious gaze into an otherwise overlooked domestic space—a corner of a kitchen. A part of the title in Malay reads like a haiku: “Siang Malam, Luar Dalam” loosely translates to “day and night, outside inside”. This deliberate wordplay hints at where the photographer was situated in relation to the time of the day, by cleverly framing the view from the window which overlooks into a darkened indistinct background.

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Bahagian Dapur, Siang Malam, Luar Dalam (Bhg. 2)(Kitchen Corner or How a Housewife Makes Do, Pt. 2)

Dari Dalam Sa-buah Rumah (From Inside the House)

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On back: “Gambar waktoe mengoeboer misih ada die dalam roemah / B. Masin 10-3-46”