The Orchid Series was the first series of banknotes issued by Singapore after its forced independence from Malaysia in 1965. With the Orchid Series, Singapore chose to inaugurate its national currency with a series devoid of human figures, placing orchids at the center of the composition. This iconographic decision aimed to avoid potentially divisive references within a still-consolidating multiethnic society. The orchids represented in the series are the result of processes of hybridization and selection and function as a visual metaphor for cultural plurality and for an idea of coexistence constructed through balance, control, and cohabitation.

Text by Ryts Monet