The Singapore Sweep, one of the biggest and the oldest lottery draws in Singapore, will take place on Aug 2.

For this year's draw, the Singapore Sweep ticket series features the theme Art at Home, where tickets will showcase 12 selected artworks from the National Gallery Singapore, as a tribute to our local art scene. 

This is to highlight the fact that the Sweep has helped fund many national projects and community causes, which include artistic endeavours.

However, out of the 12 artworks, this particular piece that was featured on their tickets and ads was a pretty peculiar a choice.

The original painting featured is titled Epic Poem of Malaya, which was completed in 1955 by Chua Mia Tee.

Chua is one of Singapore's most esteemed realist painters, who has painted several nationalistic works such as National Language Class (1959), and also the portraits of key Singaporean figures, such as our first president, Yusof Ishak, which subsequently appeared on the portrait series of our local currency.

To the untrained eye, it might look like any other artwork.

Looking deeper, however, the artwork reflects the tumultuous times of the 1950s in Singapore when the student-led anti-yellow movement and anti-colonial sentiments were at a high.

#GallerySGArtStories #ArtStories In Singapore’s turbulent post-war years, developing a “Malayan culture” was seen as a way to unite society and gain independence from colonial rule. In this painting, a man reads to his transfixed audience while a storm gathers. Bringing art to the people and using art to change society were ideals shared by many young artists like Chua during that period. --- This artwork is part of the National Collection. It was previously on loan in Germany and has returned to Singapore. We are looking forward to have it back at the Gallery soon. View our collection at www.nationalgallery.sg/artworks or visit the Social Table at City Hall Wing Level 2 --- Chua Mia Tee, Epic Poem of Malaya, 1955, Oil on canvas, Collection of National Gallery Singapore

A post shared by National Gallery Singapore (@nationalgallerysingapore) on May 4, 2017 at 9:20pm PDT

Yellow yellow, dirty fellows

The anti-yellow culture movement or Fan Huang Wen Hua Yun Dong came about from the events of unsolved murder-rape cases of Cheong Gok Tin and two other girls before her, which were believed to be a result of society becoming more "yellow", a word that represented the perverse,  due to the spread of pornography and striptease shows.

Later on, the People's Action Party launched their own anti-yellow culture campaign in June 1959, which also targeted other decadent activities, such as a gambling, opium smoking and prostitution.

Therefore, the irony - Chua's emotionally-charged artwork, which represented these students, pushing to change society from its "yellow" and colonial ways is now featured on the tickets and advertisements for a nationwide lottery.

Also, the draw is also called the National Day Draw, no less, with the top prize set at $5 million.

Renowned translator and linguist Tan Dan Feng, who noticed this, wrote a Facebook post about the ironic advertisement, highlighting the unfortunate placement of a painting that encapsulates such a rich history:

"This 1955 painting by Chua Mia Tee, called Epic Poem Of Malaya, depicts idealistic anti-colonialist middle school students gathering to discuss the important issues of the day. One major effort of theirs was the Anti-Yellow Movement, aimed at curbing social vices such as gambling, opium-smoking, pornography, and prostitution, which they felt were corrupting the youths of Malaya. Sixty-two years later, this same painting is used to promote a lottery in which the jackpot has been raised to $5 million in honour of our National Day. All hail our social progress."

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For better or for worse?

Before we get all up in arms about it, the Singapore Sweep isn't necessarily the worst company ever for doing this - it's part of their way of giving back to the local scene, it seems.

Take a look at their interactive mini-site for their national day sweep, which talks about the Sweep's roots in 1969, as a fund-raising lottery draw for the construction of the first National Stadium.

In total, $14.5 million was raised for the endeavour, from 1968 to 1976.

It also mentions the charitable works that Singapore Pools have contributed to through the years, including the building of the National Gallery Singapore, and the sale of Sweep tickets as a supplement to the income of disabled Sweep ticket sellers.

It's actually great that they're supporting the arts, our infrastructure and even the less privileged.

Nonetheless, it doesn't mean the artwork's presence on a lottery ticket is without irony.

Given that the widely-accepted interpretation of the artwork was the heavy anti-colonial sentiments of the 1950s, however, the anti-yellow campaign would perhaps be less obvious to people.

If anything though, this will perhaps spark some conversations about our local art, and our history.

Here are totally unrelated but equally interesting articles:

Top 8 moments from short local films that will make you proud of our film industry

These are the most difficult things a Singaporean employee has to learn

Top image via Singapore Pool's website.

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