Censorship fears as Singapore moves to scrub ‘offensive’ cigarette from Chinatown mural
- Artwork depicts a historic Samsui woman holding a smoking cigarette, authorities say it sends ‘wrong message’
An order by the Singapore authorities to erase a cigarette from a Chinatown mural has sparked an online controversy about street art censorship.
The mural, which depicted a young Samsui woman holding a smoking cigarette, was completed in early April, according to The Straits Times of Singapore.
The city state’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) told the landlord in an e-mail dated May 8 that the mural is “not aligned with Singapore’s anti-smoking policy stance”.
In a subsequent email on June 18, the URA also cited anonymous public feedback that the woman depicted “looks more like a prostitute” and was “offensive”.
URA issued a July 3 deadline for a new proposal and warned of the potential loss of the temporary permit of the restaurant operating there, which expires on July 27.
The artist who created the mural, Sean Dunston, a 50-year-old American based in Singapore since 2009, shared the incident on Instagram.
