Sung Tieu, “Traveller’s Checks,” 2021. In 2014, artist Sung Tieu @sungtieu took interest in a chequered fabric pattern that French luxury brand Céline, among other fashion brands, copied for its A/W 2013 collection. While the pattern design carries many historical references that can be traced back to traditional pattern designs from Sulawesi, Indonesia, the bag itself was initially invented and manufactured in China. This ubiquitous plastic bag was domestically first known as "mingong" bags (transl. "people workers' bags") since Chinese migrants would use such cheaply available bags to travel with their belongings from the peripheries into towns. The bag has later received different names around the world, including in the UK ("refugee bag") and Germany ("Türkenkoffffer," transl. as "Turkish bag") - all terms provokingly relating to immigrant and foreign populations. In Nigeria, they are known as "Ghana Must Go" bags, after Nigerian President Alhaji Shehu Shagari enacted an expulsion order in 1983 demanding all immigrants without legal papers to leave the country within fourteen days. Courtesy the artist, Emalin Gallery @emalinofficial and James Freedman and Anna Kissin VISCOSE issue 03 “Asias” Out now! (Link in bio)