Nothing wrong with the cigarette.... It reflects the reality of Samsui woman.. However, the way she sits and hold the cigarette reminds me more of cabaret woman... My grand aunt was a Samsui woman and the way she sits and smoke, was elegant and humble but definitely would not hold the cigarette or sit like the way in the mural. I do feel that the mural is romanticized and hence may not accurately represent the life and sacrifice of a Samsui woman. There is a thin line between artisitic expression and historical representation.
From my memory, the Samsui women which I had encountered had sun-burned faces. Their hands and legs were coarse and dry. They would carry a rattan basket with a flask and a food container together with a wooden pole. Usually, they would be squatting down even when resting. They were very thrifty. I had never seen them smoking. The lady on the mural is like a lousy actress trying to play the role of a Samsui woman. 🤣🤣
My friend, I lived in Chinatown as a kids and seen of these Samsui woman stayed there. as a little kid, I had seen many of them smoke. I had often seen how they prepared the tobacco leave and wrapped it with the paper and started smoking there after. This stuff is easily available at many of the mama stall, even snack stall. My grand dad often asked me to go downstair to buy cigarettes for him. My granny was from the same province and know some of them even though she came to Singapore to work as house maid and eventually went on an arranged marriage to my grand father.
If my kids ever asked me about the cigarette i will tell them the story of samsui women and the context behind the smoking. Kids nowadays are very smart, they know whats wrong and right if we spend time explaining to them.
The main problem is that chair not the cigarette. The construction sites in the past were very spartan, and Samsui women usually sit or squat whenever they were having break and meal. Only prostitutes had the luxury of having a chair outside their sex parlour to sit and smoke. The foreign artist did very little research on the Samsui women, and hence painted something that is so controversial. After that conveniently use freedom of expression and art as an excuse for his sloppy research.
My grand mother is a samsui women , it normal for them to take a break and smoke . I don’t feel wrong it reflecting what life is previously. If just changing the actual thing just to make it look nice ( what the point of painting this )
It's not about respect, its how this mural potray the sumsui women its demeaning, do the foreign artist do research b4 doing this mural. Yes they smoke but do not hold the cig. This way. Do some research first.
