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About Us

The UK’s only non-profit institution specialising in presenting and platforming artists and art practices that are informed by East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) heritages.

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We are closed for exhibition changeover. We look forward to welcoming you back from 21 February.
We are closed for exhibition changeover. We look forward to welcoming you back from 21 February.
We are closed for exhibition changeover. We look forward to welcoming you back from 21 February.
We are closed for exhibition changeover. We look forward to welcoming you back from 21 February.
We are closed for exhibition changeover. We look forward to welcoming you back from 21 February.
We are closed for exhibition changeover. We look forward to welcoming you back from 21 February.
We are closed for exhibition changeover. We look forward to welcoming you back from 21 February.
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What's On

Exhibitions
Thresholds of Becoming
Current
Upcoming
Past
Exhibition
Thresholds of Becoming
from
21
February
2026
until
17
May
2026
esea contemporary marks its 40th anniversary with a new group exhibition bringing together six artists whose practices probe the architectures of transition and the fragile ecologies of the in-between.

What's On

Events
No items found. Check out our Exhibitions Page?

What's On

Residencies
No items found. Check out our Exhibitions Page?

What's On

Projects
No items found. Check out our Exhibitions Page?
No items found. Check out our Exhibitions Page?
Yusheng—A Lunar New Year Prosperity Toss
esea ArtClub
Yusheng—A Lunar New Year Prosperity Toss
from
29
January
2026
until
29
January
2026
11:00 - 13:00
2026-01-29
No items found. Check out our Exhibitions Page?
Voicing the Archive
Project
Voicing the Archive
from
15
January
2025
until
25
May
2025
2025-01-15
Originally commissioned as a series of audio-visual works, 'Voicing the Archive' reimagines the histories of early Chinese migration to Britain—a narrative often marginalised in official records and excluded from dominant historical discourse.
Voicing the Archive
Project
Voicing the Archive
from
15
January
2025
until
25
May
2025
2025-01-15
Originally commissioned as a series of audio-visual works, 'Voicing the Archive' reimagines the histories of early Chinese migration to Britain—a narrative often marginalised in official records and excluded from dominant historical discourse.
Exhibition Preview 'Thresholds of Becoming'
Event
Exhibition Preview 'Thresholds of Becoming'
from
until
20
February
2026
18:00 - 20:00
2026-02-20
Join us for the preview of 'Thresholds of Becoming', featuring works by Nicole Coson, Xin Liu, Charmaine Poh, Minoru Nomata, Yang Yongliang, and Yin Aiwen.
Director's Letter

Dear esea contemporary community,

In poetry, we seek refuge; in art, we discover possibility. These words often return to me as I reflect on the city we call home—Manchester, a place where histories of movement, labour, and resistance are woven into its very fabric.

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