Parrotgration: Être Passeur de Cultures

The opening exhibition of 2026 at Bund 18 Jiushi Art Space—“Parrotgration: Être Passeur de Cultures”—officially opened on March 20, 2026. Co-organized by Shanghai Jiushi Art Museum and A2Z Art Gallery (Paris), the exhibition is curated by Li Ziwei and Fang Xiaoxin, with support from the Consulate General of France in Shanghai, and is included in the official program of the 20th Croisements Festival (Franco-Chinese Cultural Spring) in 2026. Bringing together more than 70 works by 15 artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, the exhibition spans a wide range of media, including oil painting, ink, acrylic, and mixed media. It is open to the public free of charge and will run through June 29, 2026.

The distinctive concept of “Parrotgration” originates from an urban anecdote in Paris. In the 1970s, a group of tropical parrots unexpectedly settled in the city. Initially regarded as urban “outsiders,” they gradually adapted to their new environment, unfurling their vibrant plumage against Paris’s gray skies, and ultimately becoming a vivid cultural symbol within the urban landscape. Drawing on and refining this phenomenon, the curatorial team combines “parrot” and “immigration” to coin the term “Parrotgration,” establishing the conceptual core of this cross-cultural exhibition and transforming a natural migration into a vivid metaphor for cultural exchange and integration.Être Passeur de Cultures