How can we begin mourning for inexplicably naturalised death? How can we recognise and lick the wounds when the tragedy is considered conveniently inevitable?

Not This Future facilitates a pseudo shamanic ritual as a political device by holding the grief as a site of solidarity and communal care directed to the victims of hostile environments policy, brutal border control and neo-colonial operation. It commemorates and critically revisits the Essex 39 incident where thirty-nine Vietnamese were found dead in the back of a lorry abandoned by a people smuggler in 2019. As a core part of the commemoration, this spiritual performance accommodates 39 offerings from different parts of the world, gathered through the exclusive call out for those whose creative practice and research weigh on migrant justice and challenge the idea of borders.   

Not This Future is part of Youngsook Choi’s ongoing exploration of political spirituality which experiments upon intimate aesthetics of community actions and alternative protests.

* A series of artist talks that expands on the themes around grief as community solidarity, transnational kinship and communal healing (with Tessa Qiu, Annie Jael Kwan and Ceara Conway, and supported by Heart of Glass, 2021). The edited conversations are available here.  

* Offerings from: Adriel Luis, Amal Khalaf, Amit Rai, Annie Jael Kwan, Anouar Kassim, Ayelet Zohar, Bao Vuong, Burong Zeng, Caro Gervay, Cecilia Wee, Cian Dayrit, Cuóng Pham, David Sebastian Lopez Restrepo, Erene Kaptani, Farzana Khan, Georgina Quach, Hai Nguyen , Hina Khan, Hsiao Hung Pai, Ibrahim Abdella, Ido Zohar, Jabez Lam, Joon Lynn Goh, June Lam, Kay Stephens (remember.resist collective), Mariko Hayashi, Mihye Lee, Nia Fekri, Nine Yamamoto-Masson, Rajinder Singh, Richard Streitmatter-Tran, Sajan Mani, Sarnt Utamachote (unthaitled collective), Shzr Ee Tan, Subhas Nair, Sungmee Bae, Taey Iohe, Tamsin Barber, Tomasz Madajczak, Vanessa Scully, Vijay Patel, Vukasin Nedeljkovic, Weng San Sit, Yoonah Han

* Commissioned by Asia-Art-Activism, supported by Bagri Foundation, Arts Council England and Heart of Glass.

* First exhibited in the group show Till We Meet Agin IRL (2020, Bagri Foundation), Re-exhibited as part of Remote Working Commission (2021, Heart of Glass) and at S1 Artspace as part of Migration Matters Festival 2021.