In the months preceding the global spread of COVID-19, a series of airborne events transformed the atmosphere of the Indo-Pacific region: the bushfire smoke on the East Coast of Australia, the tear gas used in the Santiago de Chile and Hong Kong protests, the Indian Supreme Court ruling on Delhi’s pollution failures, and activists covering iconic statues with respirators across Johannesburg and Pretoria.

All these incidents map the political struggles taking place in the region’s air, triggering a profound impact.