Chris Zhongtian Yuan 'Two Improvisations'

Join us for the preview of 'Two Improvisations', the first UK institutional solo exhibition by artist and filmmaker Chris Zhongtian Yuan.

Born in Wuhan and based in London, Yuan is an artist and filmmaker who works across video, sound, performance, and sculpture, using improvisation and storytelling to explore how personal histories, subcultures and marginalised communities sit within broader political, cultural and institutional narratives.

Taking place during esea contemporary's 40th anniversary year, the exhibition also coincides with the 40th anniversary of Manchester and Wuhan's twinning as sister cities — placing Two Improvisations within a broader history of cross-cultural artistic dialogue and exchange.

Two Improvisations: A Punk Musical (2026), commissioned by esea contemporary, forms the second instalment of a planned film and performance trilogy examining the Yeren (野人), a mysterious ape-like figure rooted in Chinese history and folklore. For Yuan, this elusive 'wild man' becomes a stand-in for the artist: a figure both visible and othered, alternately mythologised, pursued, and misunderstood.

The new commission, shown in the main gallery, comprises two films that combine stop-motion animation and musical performance. In the Communal Project Space, a stage lined with handmade props brings the film's miniature world into tangible form.

Underpinned by punk impulses of rebellion and the handmade, Two Improvisations mobilises DIY as a method and a stance, generating visual and aural stimuli that resist disciplinary containment.

Advance booking for this free event is recommended due to limited capacity.

Find out more info or book your tickets on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exhibition-preview-chris-zhongtian-yuan-two-improvisations-tickets-1987518057011