Join us for the preview of 'Nocturnal Melody' at esea contemporary, a solo exhibition by Umi Ishihara touring from Gasworks, London.

This October, Umi Ishihara's solo exhibition, Nocturnal Melody (https://www.eseacontemporary.org/exhibition/umi-ishihara-nocturnal-melody), tours to esea contemporary from Gasworks, London. Through film, sound and installation, Ishihara invites us into a world of nocturnal animals, exploring the transformative space of the night where women come to life after dark: eyes glowing, claws extended, climbing high.

At the heart of the exhibition is Nocturnal Melody, a film following the lives of Eri and Catalina, two dancers based in Tokyo whose experiences are fuelled by music, nightlife and desire. Moving between documentary footage, interviews, night vision and dream-like sequences, the work offers intimate insight into worlds where performance, labour, intimacy and sociality intertwine, and where dominant social expectations begin to loosen their hold.

Shot on location in Tokyo, the exhibition is interspersed with Ishihara's stylised nocturnal animals, whose glowing eyes, night vision and instinct for climbing allow them to navigate the city with ease. Appearing throughout the gallery in film, sound and sculptural installation, these uncanny creatures become companions to the dancers' stories, embodying alternative ways of moving through and reshaping urban space.

Originally commissioned and produced by Gasworks, London, Umi Ishihara: Nocturnal Melody is presented by esea contemporary for the first time in Northern England.

The exhibition is supported by Japan House London Trust, Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Matsuura Arts Foundation, the Kumagai Masatoshi Culture Foundation, the Yoshino Gypsum Art Foundation, Arts Council England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

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

About Umi Ishihara

Umi Ishihara (https://eseacontemporary.org/events/exhibition-preview-umi-ishihara-nocturnal-melody#) (b. 1993, Tokyo, Japan) is based in London and Tokyo. She gained an MA in Artist’s Film & Moving Image from Goldsmiths, London in 2024, and a BA in Fine Arts (Inter Media Art) from Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan in 2018. Recent solo exhibitions include Thundergod, Gallery Butaiura, Tokyo (2024); Gravity and Radiance, Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo (2021); Mire of Dickhead Demon, TAV Gallery, Tokyo (2017).

Recent group exhibitions include Home Sweet Home, Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, Kagawa; Struggle, Fukuoka Art Museum (both 2024); Home Sweet Home, The National Museum of Art, Osaka (2023); Coming of Age, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris (2022); Bloomberg New Contemporaries, South London Gallery (2019).

Ishihara’s works have been screened internationally at venues including Centre Pompidou, ICA London, BFI Southbank, Locarno Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, CPH:DOC. In 2024 she was awarded a GQ Global Creativity Award. She is a participating artist at the 2026 Busan Biennale and her work will be featured in 2027's Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum.

Image credits:

1-4. Umi Ishihara, 'Nocturnal Melody', 2026, film still. Courtesy of the artist.

5. Portrait of Umi Ishihara. Photograph by Harrison Dilks.

About esea contemporary (https://www.eseacontemporary.org/)

esea contemporary (https://www.eseacontemporary.org/) is the UK’s only non-profit art centre specialising in presenting and platforming artists and art practices that identify with and are informed by East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) cultural backgrounds.

esea contemporary is situated in an award-winning building in the heart of Manchester, home to one of the largest East Asian populations in the UK. Since its inauguration as a community-oriented visual arts festival in 1986, esea contemporary has continuously evolved to establish itself as a dynamic and engaging space for cross-cultural exchanges in the British art scene, as well as in a global context.

esea contemporary aims to increase the visibility of contemporary art practices from the East and Southeast Asian communities and their diasporas. It is a site for forward-thinking art programmes that beyond exhibitions also include commissions, research, residencies, publishing, and a wide range of vibrant public events. esea contemporary values creativity, compassion, interconnectedness, and collectivity in implementing its mission.

Learn more at: www.eseacontemporary.org

Photo by Joe Smith.

Description supplied by the event organiser.