Alfonse Chiu is a writer, artist, and curator whose practice draws connections between economics, ecology, and cultural memory. Through their long-term project PerTropicapita, Chiu explores the pathways of capital flowing into and out of the tropics, weaving together the metaphor of “hot money” and financial liquidity with the warm, humid climates of tropical geographies. The project unfolds across multiple “chapters,” each combining research and artistic experimentation to map how value, culture, and resources circulate through these regions.

One such chapter, Glossaries for Unwritten Knowledges, was realized as an exhibition in collaboration with Malaysian non-profit GERMIS and Indigenous practitioners. It focused on the survival of Indigenous cultures in Malaysia, highlighting the fragile continuities of knowledge often overlooked by official histories. Another chapter, Fruit Atlas, functions as a knowledge-sharing and production platform that takes the global circulation of tropical fruits as a model for imagining new forms of alliance, exchange, and solidarity among tropical regions.

Chiu is also the founder of the Centre for Urban Mythologies, a platform for research and artistic inquiry into the cultural narratives that shape urban life. As part of the Young Climate Prize, they were mentored by Paola Antonelli, senior curator at MoMA, whose guidance helped Chiu expand the scope and resonance of PerTropicapita within broader discourses of design and climate.