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 today.
We are open today from 10am to 5pm.
We are open today from 10am to 5pm.
We are open today from 10am to 5pm.
We are open today from 10am to 5pm.
We are open today from 10am to 5pm.
We are closed today.
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What's On

Exhibitions
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What's On

Events
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What's On

Residencies
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What's On

Projects
From (Counter-)Archives to Activation
Current
Project
From (Counter-)Archives to Activation
from
4
May
2024
until
31
August
2024
Through our collaboration with artists, curators, thinkers, scholars, and communities, we seek to foreground pluralistic narratives and empower individuals to shape their own histories.
Jatiwangi art Factory (JaF)
Residency
Jatiwangi art Factory (JaF)
from
12
July
2024
until
26
July
2024
2024-07-12
Jatiwangi art Factory (JaF) will be in residency in summer 2024, with support from the British Council
No items found. Check out our Exhibitions Page?
No items found. Check out our Exhibitions Page?
Moving Forwards, Sideways
Project
Moving Forwards, Sideways
from
29
May
2023
until
31
October
2024
2023-05-29
An engagement project designed to support Hong Kong BN(O) communities in Manchester throughout the summer of 2023
Exhibition Preview 'Steph Huang: There is nothing old under the sun'
Event
Exhibition Preview 'Steph Huang: There is nothing old under the sun'
from
until
27
September
2024
18:00 - 20:00
2024-09-27
Join us for the exhibition preview to celebrate esea contemporary's new exhibition 'Steph Huang: There is nothing old under the sun.'
Clayground: 'Hear, Touch, Taste’ Workshop Series
Event
Clayground: 'Hear, Touch, Taste’ Workshop Series
from
19
July
2024
until
25
July
2024
14:00 - 16:00
2024-07-25
Led by Elgea Balzarie, an artist from Jatiwangi art Factory (JaF), this workshop series will explore the role of clay, deeply rooted in JaF's research in the Jatiwangi region, as a medium that fosters community engagement and empowers the conservation of local lands.
Online Talk by Alison Lam: 'When things don't go according to plan'
Event
Online Talk by Alison Lam: 'When things don't go according to plan'
from
until
9
August
2024
15:30 - 16:30
2024-08-09
In this artist talk, Alison Lam will reflect on her British Chinese neurodivergent identity and experiences of navigating her artistic social practice engagements, all informed by her lived experience of raising children with autism in British cultural environments.
'Your words flow like water' by Jasmine Gardner
Event
'Your words flow like water' by Jasmine Gardner
from
2
July
2024
until
31
August
2024
10:00–17:00 daily, Tuesday–Saturday
2024-08-31
Exploring notions of belonging and the fluidity of cultural identity materialise in the form of a site-specific installation.
Sensory Archive Corner
Event
Sensory Archive Corner
from
2
July
2024
until
31
August
2024
10:00–17:00 daily, Tuesday–Saturday
2024-08-31
esea contemporary has commissioned Manchester-based artist and designer Sarah Marsh to create the site-specific installation 'Sensory Archive Corner' in our Communal Project Space.
An Inverted Journey of Counter Archiving
Event
An Inverted Journey of Counter Archiving
from
2
July
2024
until
27
July
2024
10:00–17:00 daily, Tuesday–Saturday
2024-07-27
This dynamic programme offers a critical examination – through an artistic lens and research – which seeks to destabilise entrenched power dynamics and foster a thought-provoking understanding and representation of memory and history.
Director's Letter

Dear esea contemporary Community,

It is with great pleasure that we relaunch esea contemporary, previously known as the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (CFCCA), 36 years after its birth as an artist-initiated, community-oriented arts festival in Manchester.

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