Southbank Centre reveals new series dedicated to East and Southeast Asian arts
- Text by Zahra Onsori
- Photography by Pierre Zylstra
ESEA Encounters — Taking place between 17-20 July, there will be a live concert from YMO’s Haruomi Hosono, as well as discussions around Asian literature, stage productions, and a pop-up Japanese Yokimono summer market.
London’s Southbank Centre has announced a new cultural festival series, ESEA Encounters, dedicated to showcasing contemporary art and culture from East and Southeast Asia, as well as the diaspora.
It will run from 17 – 20 July, featuring a special headline concert from Japanese music legend and Yellow Magic Orchestra founder Haruomi Hosono, as well as a modern-day reinterpretation of Chinese folk story Ye Xian.
Elsewhere, Chinese artist Tianzhuo Chen will present his 12-hour long TRANCE production alongside his Asian Dope Boys collective, which blends immersive theatre and rave music.
The series will also feature a day of literary celebrations curated by ESEA Lit Fest, which will include a conversation between writer Elaine Castillo and video game producer John Lau about love and romance in a time of digital technology, while novelist Tash Aw will discuss masculinity and family with poet Will Harris.
Across the weekend (19−20 July), there will be a pop-up Yokimono Japanese summer market in the Southbank Centre’s foyers, which will sell ceramics, vintage kimonos, food, books and more.
Mark Ball, Artistic Director at the Southbank Centre said: “This is an insight into the work of artists from East and Southeast Asia, and illuminates the preoccupations and ideas that are driving new artistic forms through a plethora of events. This is an open programme welcoming anyone of any age and background to be inspired by the span of creativity in this major cultural hub of the world.”
For more information and tickets for ESEA Encounters, visit the Southbank Centre’s website.
Zahra Onsori is a freelance journalist. Follow her on Instagram.
Buy your copy of Huck 81 here.
Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram and sign up to our newsletter for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.
Support stories like this by becoming a member of Club Huck.
You might like
Syrian National Orchestra to reunite at special London concert
Supported by Damon Albarn — The Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music will be performing live this summer at a rare London concert. It'll be the first time the orchestra has appeared together since conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, forcing the group to scatter. Special guests including frequent collaborator Damon Albarn will also be joining them.
Written by: Adam White
The last days of St Agnes Place, London’s longest ever running squat
Off the grid — Photographer Janine Wiedel spent four years documenting the people of the Kennington squat, who for decades made a forgotten row of terraced houses a home.
Written by: Isaac Muk
How Japan revolutionised art & photography in the ’60s and ’70s
From Angura to Provoke — A new photobook chronicles the radical avant-garde scene of the postwar period, whose subversion of the medium of image making remains shocking and groundbreaking to this day.
Written by: Miss Rosen
In west London, Subbuteo is alive and flicking
London Subbuteo Club — The tabletop football game sees players imitate vintage teams with tactics and tiny painted replica kits. Ryan Loftus takes a trip to Fulham to meet a dedicated community and witness a titanic Brazil vs Coventry City showdown.
Written by: Ryan Loftus
Artifaxing: “We’ve become so addicted to these supercomputers in our hands”
Framing the future — Predominantly publishing on Instagram and X, the account is one of social media’s most prominent archiving pages. We caught up with the mysterious figure behind it to chat about the internet’s past, present and future, finding inspiration and art in the age of AI.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The lacerating catharsis of body suspension in Hong Kong
Self-Ferrying — In one of the world’s most densely packed cities, an underground group of young people are piercing their skin and hanging their bodies with hooks in a shocking exploration of pain and pleasure. Sophie Liu goes to a session to understand why they partake in the extreme underground practice.
Written by: Sophie Liu
