SEA Junction, or Southeast Asia Junction, is a cultural center based in Bangkok, Thailand, dedicated to fostering understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia’s diverse socio-cultural dimensions, including arts, crafts, economy, and development. Established in 2018 as the core activity of the Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies, a registered non-profit Thai foundation, SEA Junction enhances public access to knowledge resources and promotes exchanges among students, specialists, and enthusiasts of Southeast Asia.
Strategically located at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), SEA Junction serves as a public venue and informal space where individuals interested in the region’s art, culture, and societies can meet, share information, consult available resources, and read related literature at their leisure. The center functions as a reading room with a collection of books on Southeast Asia, organizes events such as meetings, seminars, and workshops, and profiles emerging artists and intellectuals from the region.
SEA Junction operates as a not-for-profit, collective effort born out of contributions from its founder and a number of founding partners. Its functioning and development also depend on public support, encouraging individuals to become Friends of SEA Junction to help sustain its mission of fostering greater knowledge of Southeast Asia and creating opportunities for cross-learning and exchanges.
Through its various activities, SEA Junction aims to bring socio-cultural and development issues to the general public, facilitating public access to knowledge resources and promoting exchanges among students, practitioners, and Southeast Asia enthusiasts.
SEA Junction engages in various projects and special initiatives to promote understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia’s socio-cultural dimensions. Notable projects include:
1. Small Grants Program: “Staying Resilient Amidst Multiple Crises in Southeast Asia”: This program supports community-led initiatives that build resilience against health, political, socioeconomic, and environmental crises. Since its inception in 2020, it has funded projects across Southeast Asian countries, addressing issues like climate change, human rights violations, migration, and education.
2. “70Rai Project”: A photographic documentation by Yoonki Kim, capturing life stories in Bangkok’s Khlong Toey district. The project offers insights into the resilience and solidarity of the community’s residents.
3. Written and Visual Essay Competition: “Which Road for Southeast Asia?”: Launched to commemorate the 56th Anniversary of ASEAN, this competition invites emerging writers and artists from Southeast Asia to reflect on the region’s future and ASEAN’s role in addressing current and emerging issues.
4. Special Initiatives: SEA Junction undertakes various special programs, such as visual essays on key
Southeast Asian issues and storytelling projects like “From Fear to Resilience: Storytelling of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia,” which documents community resilience during the pandemic.
Through these projects, SEA Junction fosters public access to knowledge resources and promotes exchanges among students, specialists, and enthusiasts of Southeast Asia.