Who isn't familiar with the unassuming red-white-blue PVC bag adorned with its timeless checkered or striped pattern? Cheap, practical, and versatile, it's a reliable companion for anyone on the move or in need of transporting their belongings. But can a bag be more than just a mundane accessory?

Bags are made for carrying. It is often understood to mean carrying something or several things in a flexible container from one place to another. Elsewhere, things may be unpacked, shown, given away, repacked, new ones added, stored and carried on. Bags hold treasures, personal, practical, survival, random, memories, gifts, found, heavy and difficult, almost forgotten or secrets. A bag should only be opened by someone who is authorized to do so. Looking into other people's bags is a transgression. Looking into an open bag is something special. As bags carry not only objects but also identities and personal stories.

The red-white-blue bag became a symbol of migration, carrying with it the hopes, dreams, and uncertainties of those who leave for various reasons their home country. Known all around the globe but under different names (expressing anxieties towards relocated immigrant groups in the country of arrival): Russian Bag in Poland, Türken Koffer in Austria, Bangladeshi Bag in the UK, Ghana Bag in Nigeria, Zimbabwe Bag in South Africa (mashangaan bag, umaskhenkethe, unomgcana, umasgoduke, ukhumbulekhaya). For many it is also associated with the fall of the Soviet Union, with war, broken lives and economic collapse. Others connect it with shopping at nearby markets or bazaars, with informal economy, trading across-border and the struggle to make a living. More recently this 2 euro bag has been absurdly introduced into the luxury fashion industry by brands like Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton.