2 August 2024
Nanyang academy of fine arts
Nanyang academy of fine arts
Production Zomia was formed in 2021 as a network of artists, curators, researchers and other arts professionals in Asia. Recent activities include organizing “Zomi:Trans-local Migrants on the Water - Contemporary Art from the Mekong Region"" (2021, Semba Excel Building, Osaka, Japan), “Anarco-Animism”(2022, Reborn Art Festival, Miyagi, Japan) and “Orange Mandala” (2022, Kinan Art Week, Wakayama, Japan). The term ""Zomia"" refers to the mountainous regions of mainland Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar) after the Tibetan and Myanmarese word "Zomi" (highlander). Zomia is characterized by dispersion/migration and oral traditions, escaping any form of state control such as taxation, military service, slavery, etc. They are also a people who believe in animism and live in an egalitarian society. Based on the nature of the Zomi, we produce exhibitions and projects in various places and forms.
Production Zomia proposes a project to engage with the people and natural creatures that have lived in the region where Thailand / Laos / Myanmar border adjoins. Although they have formed a fluid and vibrant life through their ecosystem over a long period of time, their territory has been eroded recently by state power and global economic development. As a result, the number of ethnic minorities, refugees, and others forced to leave their homes and move to other parts of the world has been increasing each year.
See the report by UNHCR. We believe that art can liberate, affirm, and empower individuals in solidarity, and that hoping to deliver it to the people in difficult circumstances.