Samsui women are historical figures in Singapore, but this artwork by Singapore-based American artist Sean Dunston became a controversial piece because it was “offensive” and for other reasons.
He completed this in April without prior approval, and the artwork quickly drew the attention of the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). Their demand? To remove the cigarette. The reason? It didn’t align with Singapore’s “anti-smoking policy stance”.
Beyond policy, the URA also cited public outcry. A comment from a concerned citizen deemed the artwork “offensive and disrespectful to our Samsui women”, claiming the mural made her look “more like a prostitute than a hardworking Samsui woman”.
This immediately shifts the conversation from public health policy to the deeply subjective and often gendered lens. Samsui women, immigrants from China who came to Singapore as construction workers, are extremely important to the country’s history. However, a singular element in their artistic portrayal was enough to trigger accusations of disrespect and misrepresentation.
Despite the URA’s initial stance, Sean Dunston’s work received significant social media support, prompting the URA to reconsider its actions. While a victory for the artist, this reversal begged a larger question: do authorities hold ultimate control over artistic expression, and to what extent does public opinion, particularly when it comes to representing women in art, influence these decisions?
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</div> <div>”margin-left: 8px;”> <div style=”background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;”></div></p> <p style=”color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;”>t=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>A post shared by Sean Dunston (@seanpdunston)
The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) weighed in, shifting the focus beyond the cigarette itself. In an Instagram post, AWARE argued that the core issue wasn’t the presence of the cigarette, but how the entire situation played out from a mere cigarette. They stated that focusing solely on the cigarette risked “erasing the hardships that were originally faced by these women”.
AWARE critically examined the mural through the lens of the “male gaze”, suggesting the art might be sexualising women instead of celebrating their contributions. They advocated for “a portrayal that more accurately reflects the robust and rugged spirit of the Samsui women, ensuring their story is told with the respect and authenticity it deserves”. This powerful intervention highlights how even seemingly minor artistic choices can contribute to a broader narrative of censorship by omission or misrepresentation, which completely erases the strength and resilience of historical women.
Local artist Yip Yew Chong joined the debate, defending the cigarette’s inclusion. He argued against its erasure, asserting that “opium was a part of our history” and advocating for a more lenient government censorship enforcement in Singapore. His desire for artists to “exercise less self-censorship” underscores the chilling effect of strict regulatory environments on artistic freedom.
In this context, the censorship of a cigarette on a female figure becomes emblematic of a larger struggle for uninhibited artistic expression, particularly when it challenges historical narratives that might exclude or misrepresent the truth of these women’s lives.
The Samsui woman mural incident is a reminder that censorship often impacts the representation of women in art. It reveals the constant tension between artistic freedom, historical accuracy, public perception, and societal expectations of how women should be seen and remembered. For artists in Singapore, they have to push boundaries while telling women’s stories with authenticity and respect, free from the constraints of potentially being censored.
