Singapore is small country with massive accolades. The tidy, green city, filled with lit up skylines and their own public art collection to be proud of, sadly still does not cater to all. 1% is the number we got from researching their collection and it cements another reason why this project is so incredibly important.
Current Statues of Women in Singapore
Samsui Women
The three women are identified by their characteristic hats and are shown carrying the heavy loads on their backs. The Samsui women, from the Sansui Province of China, travelled to Singapore around the 1920’s and 1940’s in search for jobs to support their families back home. The women played a significant role when it came to the development of Singapore, working in mostly industrial and construction work. We believe this also holds a much deeper meaning - proving that women even in today’s society can look to these Samsui women and see that they too, can work in male dominate careers.
You can find this statue by Liu Jilin outside the Urbane Redevelopment Authority.
From Chettiar to Financiers
The statue or rather activation depicts a Chettiar sitting at a small lower desk, on a woven mat. Chattiers led the moneylending business in the early days, congregated at Market and Chulia Street. The two women standing, represent one employee from a Chinese clearing house and the other, a stock exchange trader. This scene is to show the transformation of Singapores traditional money lending business, to the sophisticated banking services provided by financial institutions. You can find this statue by Chern Lian Shan in front of the Asian Civilisations Museum.
