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esea contemporary

Creative Tourist

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esea contemporary

Market buildings, Thomas Street, Manchester, M4 1EU
0161 832 7271
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  • Tuesday10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Wednesday10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Thursday10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Friday10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Saturday10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Sunday12:00pm - 5:00pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

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Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art CFCCA by Michael Pollard
Photo by Michael Pollard
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Thanks to its dynamic programme of events and exhibitions celebrating artists of East and Southeast Asian heritage, esea contemporary (formerly Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, CFCCA) is widely regarded as the number one place for experiencing East and Southeast Asian contemporary art in the UK.

Established in 1986, originally located in Chinatown but now tucked away at the end of Thomas Street in Manchester’s vibrant Northern Quarter, esea contemporary presents and supports artists and art informed by East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) cultural backgrounds. Alongside a regularly changing programme of new exhibitions, it also commissions new work and runs artist-in-residency schemes.

esea contemporary is also one of the only public art galleries in the Northern Quarter, alongside Manchester Craft and Design Centre, and a long-standing favourite for many. For these reasons, it more than warrants the title of one of the best galleries in Manchester.

What's on near esea contemporary

Aisla dancing and Dj'ing
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Get hands on with the decks in this funk and soul superstar DJ workshop from BBC Radio 6’s Ailsa.

Free entry
Until
ComedyManchester
The Comedy Vault

Every Monday night upstairs at Fierce Bar, The Comedy Vault hosts an outrageously funny open-mic night. Come and try your hand or just to watch and laugh.

Free entry
Until
ComedyManchester
Creatures of the Night Comedy Club

An insanely committed seven-nights-a-week, Creatures of the Night Comedy Club opens its doors (20.30-22.30 typically, though please check) for evening after evening of side-splitting comedy.

From £5.00
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Where to go near esea contemporary

Manchester Pubs
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Ego Death

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Bar 21

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Eternally popular curry canteen taking its name from a time when patrons didn’t know what to call their orders, but pointed instead to a bit of “this” and “that”.

Wolf At The Door
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Wolf At The Door

Three storey bar and restaurant on Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter, from the team behind the Wilderness record store and bar in Withington.

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The Bay Horse Tavern

The Bay Horse Tavern is a laid-back pub based in the dead centre of the Northern Quarter, with a wide range of drinks and food options.

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Ziferblat is a pay as you stay café in the northern quarter, where everything is free – except the time you spend.

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From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.