Curated by Hou Hanru, Liu Xiaodu, and Meng Yan

The seventh edition of the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture, organized by Hou Hanru and two founding partners of the local architectural collective urbanus, has chosen as its main venue a unique enclave in the city: Nantou, a historical town that is gradually transforming into one of the city’s so-called urban villages. A side effect of Shenzhen’s rapid economic development, these sprawling villages-in-the-city lack central planning and enjoy limited access to city services, often providing a home for migrant populations. This biennial—through a series of exhibitions, workshops, and symposia—will explore the chaotic yet creative social life of these sites and test their potential as a means to model strategies of resistance in the Global South. This context may in turn shed new light on the artists on view, many of whom—including Lin Yilin and Cao Fei—are originally from or currently based in the Pearl River Delta region.

— Du Keke