WOMEN OF VANDA MISS JOAQUIM

 

“Women of Vanda Miss Joaquim” is a piece crafted by Waheeda as a tribute to Singapore’s women, from those who have helped build present-day Singapore from what it was to those who are still building Singapore to what it has the potential to become. The piece features images of women of different ethnicities in Singapore’s past contributing to the nation in their own way, through dedication and hard work. These images then branch out and are dispersed into three more prominent empowered female figures in Singapore. This dispersion shows how it was the contribution of the women of the past who have shaped and empowered the women of today, who in turn are empowering more women of the future. All these women are set against the backdrop of Singapore’s national flower—the Vanda Miss Joaquim—which, appropriately enough, is a flower known for its resilience and year-round blooming quality. Traces of the orchid’s pink pigment can be found in all the women throughout the artwork. The traces of pink symbolise how resilience is an innate part of these extraordinary women and in turn, how it’s these women’s resilience that helped to build the nation (represented by the Vanda Miss Joaquim).