Routes and Roots: The Archipelago as a Vision of the Global South

Works that speak of migration, spirituality, layered memory, and invisible relations: the exhibition curated by Zong Han opens in Shanghai as a collective reflection on the dynamics of the Southeast Asia. Across ports, rivers, and uplands, the archipelago emerges as both a historical and symbolic structure - more than just a metaphor. Artists such as Kawayan de Guia, Tia-Thuy Nguyen, and Jakkai Siributr delve into entangled narratives, sedimented materials, and personal mythologies. The second part of the project, presented at Bao Room in the heart of the former French Concession, turns inland - toward what pulses beneath the surface: spirituality, bodies, and history. In doing so, it sketches an alternative geography built not on borders, but on connection.