Didan Collective
2023-Present, South China
WHAT IS DIDAN COLLECTIVE
Founded in 2023, the Didan Collective operates as a participatory art platform and incubator addressing the climate crisis through creative practice and public engagement.
The name “Didan” comes from Cantonese slang 地头蛇, commonly referring to someone deeply rooted in a place. Here, the term is reinterpreted to mean having the courage to confront the truth of climate change and the agency to act on it—locally grounded, politically aware, and unafraid of difficult realities.
Didan Collective recruits emerging artists from South China and incubates climate-engaged artistic projects through capacity building in climate literacy, creative action, and community-based co-learning, delivered via workshops, mentorship, and collective art-making.
At its core, this community positions art as a form of soft campaigning—creating space for dialogue, emotional engagement, and collective imagination around climate issues that are difficult to address directly in Mainland China.
The program runs on a 6-month annual cycle, and each cycle follows a structured pathway:
thematic framing and open call ( (e.g. Climate × Health in 2025; Climate × Biodiversity in 2026)
selection of 6 artists or groups
online self-paced learning and in-person workshops
mentorship to polish project concepts
participatory public engagement and co-creation
production of art work
group exhibition and collective review
The program is supported by the Harmony Community Foundation.
MISSION
Didan Collective aims to cultivate creatives capable of translating the climate crisis into culturally resonant narratives, activating public reflection and behavior change, and contributing—indirectly but meaningfully—to longer-term systemic change.
OUTCOMES
Didan Collective currently supports a network of 27 core practitioners, including art educators, independent artists, curators, and social entrepreneurs. Practices span filmmaking, theatre, design, and installation art. The platform is strengthened by mentors from organizations such as Greenpeace, the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, and South China University of Technology, who provide expertise in climate issues and participatory art methodologies.
Between 2024 and 2025, Didan Collective’s open calls attracted nearly 100 artist teams. The program engaged over 300 members of the public in hands-on climate-focused co-creation and produced two group exhibitions in Guangzhou. These exhibitions drew close to 1,000 on-site visitors and reached approximately 125,000 people online.
