Art is art. It’s how Samsui women takes breaks. If this is a cause of concern, then posters or covers of advertisements with cigarettes or smoking be removed too? It’s not easy to paint such a huge art piece. The artist done a good work to paint this piece.

The controversy should not actually be on the painting, but on the fact that both the landlord and the artist got away very lightly for not applying for the permit to do the job. I can hand on heart say that if it had been anyone else who had flagrantly broken rules, we would have been made to remove it. Why was he allowed to keep the mural up when he didn’t get the approval to do it in the first place? Whether it was of a woman with or without a cigarette, it’s deflecting on the main subject that needs to be highlighted.

Wow, Jon made a great reminder of "majority is not always right" with examples of having professionals existence gave me a 🤯 moment. He has grown up hahahahah

When we were living at Stirling Rd, Queenstown, we saw these samsui women carrying the cement in buckets n bricks building blks of flats behind our block 164.

love the selling art plug!!

Samsui women use to smoke opiums, the artist has already "water down" the art by using a cig if people are offended by history isnt this just trying to change the history of Singapore and Samsui women?

I just wanna say that Alison’s cup is so unique

Keep the mural and add “Smoking causes cancer” TYVM.

When someone is upset, angry, or offended by something or someone, it’s because that person see a mirror of themself

i didnt know samsui woman smoked until this art was drawn

LKY, Dr Goh and Raja all were smokers in their early years. So how did national archives go about this? 😅 digitally camouflage?

We should respect Samsui women, they hv contributed greatly to our society

“The problem is the majority isn’t always right”that’s a mic drop right there

Those who made a hoohaa over the cigarettes are shallow minded. How laughable would that be when tourists found out the truth after visiting our history museum. The only things that need to be amended would be eye contact. Don't think that they would bother with the surroundings when taking a break from harsh weather. Probably, just within their own space and mind.

aiya really very free to go and start a saga about this leh, there are more things to worry about and people are worry about this -.- its just a mural. move on..

It’s a conservation shophouse. Any changes to facade will require permits.

In the old time, the faeces budget collector, we call that "36 doors" cos the vehicles have many doors to contain the budget of "faeces". They self collect the budget from the outdoor toilets and swap it an empty one, so no one will "miss" it. When the collector arrived, everyone hide far away from it cause it is very smelly!!!

Totally agree with JP's facial expression

Invite URA to the show

was just wondering if this discourse would have shifted if there was more than one samsui women depicted in the mural instead of just one depiction that might steer people’s perspectives and impressions on them

1. I've seen a samsui woman in real life. 2. Whoever that member of public is who claimed that mural is sultry, stop being uncultured. 4. It is a beautiful piece of art, stop interfering as long as it is not political.

To be fair, in the past, these hard working personnels smoke during their break as I can remember watching them from our kitchen window

Yes, when we lived in Prinsep st in the 60s, my grandparents will leave a basket with some money hanging down. Then the bread uncle will leave a loaf of bread in it after taking the $. Ppl were more honest then

Samsui women should always have a tired and weathered look

Can show the cigarette but tone down the smoke swirls. Keep it subtle.

several Qs that came to mind: 1. why would the artist paint a samsui women with a cig in place that there are other depiction that is more common. 2. will URA approved the mural in the first place? 3. when u link 1 & 2, u'll ask what is the artist attempting to do? he might aware that it will not approve, so there might be some hidden agenda? 4. we kept hearing "a member of the public" is it someone that is related to gov service/dept be one of it? 5. we can also linked with another similar news regarding the 2 colonial statues in ft canning. both involves sensitive people contradicting themselves.

The line is.. if it's not racially offensive, it doesn't insult anyone or hurt anyone. It is fine. If one is insulted or hurt by a women smoking, person is too small..

joking here: the painting has cloths hanging out and it is facing outside.....

5:43 #give jp a lunch break!

Can we also consider that there are so many ways to depict the samsui woman that would still spark a conversation about samsui women, so why the need to use the cigarette?

I think it's the culture of Singapore and it's environment most countries in the world won't even bat an eyelid to these sort of art

What if the cig is used to shoo away the mosquito

The issue is sg government agencies always attend to these complaints and make changes, when majority of the people don't really care. This is why sg can never progress in the arts and sports. Smoking art. One sensitive person complain, ok take down. Forum on sexuality, some traditional minded parents don't like. Okay cancel event. Boys playing football at football court beside hdb block and one self centered resident complain because he/she don't like noise. OK repurpose the court. If govt can just stop kneeling to these minority complaints and ask them to suck it up then we will make much more progress than just economically. There will always be sensitive people in every corner of the world. Is how the relevant agencies react to that.

My HOA restricts what you can display on your property as well as a general code of look and feel in terms of the windows, doors and colors that can be displayed. The guy is correct in that cities and towns can impose ordinances for a lot of things involving look and feel of buildings. It also tends to enhance property values.

What are the rules for public advertisements or banners? If this doesn't fall within the exclusion list, then it shouldn't be asked to be taken down. For URA to say "take down" and then "wait ah" means they don't have a list and are acting on emotions. And for them to weaponise the renewal of lease is quite underhanded, if it is wrong and illegal then the tenants shouldn't be allowed to keep it up, if its not illegal then their renewal should not be affected. I don't understand what is this "you have until 3rd July or else". Just like youtube has a list of exclusions for prohibited contents. Its not based on public voting or management beliefs, they will just point to a specific clause and say "you've violated this section". Safe to assume URA doesn't have such list and is acting without thinking through....

Art is art. Art gives people a space for imagination and creativity. If a person sees it and thinks it's encouraging smoking, gotta check the brains.

Ridiculous complaints. From my view.

Are we overthinking about this? It's just a mural, people complain (all the time).Complainers get the air time and their feedback across while those who has no comments on the mural stay silent or has no general opinions on it.

If government feel so uneasy having samsui woman smoking. Then ban smoking? But the issue is, they cant earn tax :D

😰 Dealing with humans ~ it's impossible to please everyone .

Sure, SOME samsui women must have been smokers. To what extent does a cigarette depict that SMOKING is in their culture? How much samsui women were smokers enough that it NEEDED to be in a painting? LKY also smoked, does the artist want to try painting him in a mural? It is historically accurate.

The 36 door poop collection truck

I think the sensitivity here is due to the combination of a young woman + cigarettes thus why, but this is an artistic take a historical depiction and I strongly believe the response is from hypersensitive "Karens" or parents in Singapore who want to overprotect their kids who think this depiction at face value (reminds them of a prostitue) instead of looking at this as an artwork. I strongly agree that the URA should look at the number of "complains" requires a serious investigation / address instead of jumping in even if it's less than 4-5 complains on such issues. In that case does it mean these ppl will not complain if the one depicted to smoking in the image is a wrinkled old lady? so an old smoking samsui women would not look like or give an prostitue impression? so there is no old prostitues? At this day and age if we claim ourselves as a first world country, our people should be more openminded. I strongly believe that the artist should not modify their masterpieces if not this will turn a beautiful artpiece into a frankenstien monster as art cannot be controlled like what a client can do with an agency's work...It's not like renovating your own house as no one cares when your house end up turning into a "housewife's catalog". Unless it's nudity, I don't see his beautiful artwork is that much of an issue. Something to look at on the long-run~

The OG Terminal 1 was built by Samsui women

It is what it is. That's what it is during those times, why do some want to change the history of samsui. Looks like the guy who gave his nonsense opinion had a very low opinion of samsui women

U guys went round the bush, put yourself in the authorities' shoes, URA,..... to do is damn, don't do also damn. Not asking to take down the whole mural, just change the cigarette to a tea cup. Samsui women drink tea correct?

They are the last mile of the construction site - like carrying bricks/cement etc up to other floors of the constructing building. Samsui Women are vow to stay single.

Firstly, Singapore has never been a country that values INDIVIDUALITY or a single person’s view, so for URA to react in this manner simply because ONE SO CALLED “member of the public” complained, suggest to me that THE PERSON in question is someone with political or administrative powers WITHIN the hierarchy of the government. Secondly, the strive for Historical Accuracies should ALWAYS BE THE BENCHMARK to prevent anyone holding political powers with monovalent intentions in future from creating propaganda against an IGNORANT population like what we see happening in North Korea! Thirdly, Smoking Opium or smoking cigarettes are not simply an addiction for Samsui Women BUT it was also a COPING mechanism in the face of their HARSH daily realities of life…

6:25 and ll be the sia lan who dam bo ma buay sai; the sia lan ppl who JBBSB; the sia lan doesn want to be part of the system just not to be part of the system; the sia lan that ngeh ngeh lai, the sia lan who dio si mai ngio...and more

The artist should hv painted a older sumsai woman, during that time we seldom see young sasumi women like the woman in mural. Must ask artist his intention . If the art is depicted an older samsui woman will be more acceptable.

The mural isn’t nude what .. what is so offensive about it ?

17:12 Only the weak minded that can be mind controlled by a Jedi 😛

Actually, the mural was supposed to be part of a grand masterpiece spanning the entire vast empty space. But why paint it in one lonely corner? There's more to add, but when Singaporeans complained, the URA hit the brakes without even considering the full picture. Typical Singaporean mindset-complain first, appreciate art later! 29:52

Another platform, another opportunity for the anti govt elements to speak against the govt. Not so much about the cigarette thingy.

If you can censor one thing, you can censor everything.

wonder what kind of life are those complainers living in?

Pick a side then argue for your points Dun stand on the fence and argue for each side and throw so many bloody WHAT IFs

Some complaints are just not worth listening to. 🤷🏽‍♂️ The URA will “find fault” now that it’s being blown up. They cannot “lose face”. 😅 Parents who complain are just being lazy in parenting their children. 🤷🏽‍♂️

next: INVITE MR LEE TO THE SHOWWWWWWWWWWWW. lets go

Haven't we evolved beyond this? Just seeing pix of samsui woman on smoke break wont encourage more smokers, isn't this just a depiction of how things have changed? heeeheee like having another building nearby to depict today's CBD woman on a S break . maybe should focus on reducing smokers current and past , maybe use more effective methods. And how to stop vaping, which is still more common than you think.

It is illegal to be naked in public. That's the difference between having a naked woman painted and a smoking samsui woman. If your kids are so easily influenced then ban smoking altogether and make it illegal. Then it is on par with the naked woman and should not be depicted in any way or form in public. Your child will see the uncle smoking in the coffeeshop then how?

Suzie Wong is a fictional character. It was a book turned into film in the 60s- look up The World of Suzie Wong

Algoooooooooooo

sorry i did not find people who smoked in school cool. in fact they were the nuisance. its only cool if they are nice and chill with you. other than that, smoking did not make them cool.

first!

My great-grandmother she was a sumsui women she smoke

Singapore has lots of dollars and cents but very little artistic sense.

Samsui Women: Why is there no one asking for my opinion? Caused you are no longer around to speak for yourself.

its not singaporeans being sensitive... its the young generation being obnoxiously strawberry about anything everything.... basically the since the birth of "keyboard-warrioring" ... e.g. China Super Sensitive Netizen... whom can bring anything down with just a keyboard... er.. maybe except the CCP...

Singaporeans didn’t make a fuss, its someone in the government, since when were government entities so keen on listening to petty complaints? You censor a damn mural people still gonna smoke, if you don’t want people to smoke then ban cigarettes, too bad tax and saman money too delectable for the gahmen.

why is the samsui woman look like from petty face from tiktok doing some chessy dance... should at least be of older age lah.. about the smoke, pls lah.. we see ppl smoke on TV too and may be more(duration) than just seeing a painting on a wall which just afew second..

Nakedness,or nudity in public is a BIG nO NO, illegal in sg....😮😮😮 Suggest the mural to be scaled down in size or be relocated....😂😂😊 Art is subjective and do not expect all ppl to accept them and understand them...., which is why we have laws and regulations...