Scotland is to host its first full-scale celebration of art from East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) artists, in the free all-day festival Liquid Identities, set to take place on Sunday 28 September at Assembly Roxy as part of UK ESEA Heritage Month. 

Bringing together more than 30 ESEA artists working across film, visual arts, literature, music, dance, and performance, the festival explores themes of identity, belonging, and creative expression in contemporary Scotland, providing a platform for underrepresented voices in the cultural sector.

‘Liquid Identities is the first festival of its kind in Scotland, celebrating the creativity of East and Southeast Asian artists,’ said Adrian Leung, festival director. ‘The work you'll see, hear, and feel offers an intimate glimpse into our lives – how we adapt, shift, and grow within our environments, whether as immigrants, people of mixed heritage, or Scots-born and raised as people of colour.’

Included in the line-up are film screenings from Paul Sng (who’ll release the Irvine Welsh documentary Reality Is Not Enough later this month), Shanine Gallagher, Rory Power Gibb, Tianhui Wu and emerging filmmakers. In visual art, there will be exhibitions from Sarah Kwan, Kelly Zou, Maia Leung, Aileen Lees, Sandra Zhang, Leonard Lee, Sitian Zeng, and Nana Miyagi. 

A panel discussion on art and belonging will take place featuring Sarah Kwan, Sean Wai-Keung, Candice Chung, and Tommy Ga-Ken Wan. In literature, there will be readings from Sean Wai-Keung, Candice Chung, Lok Pui Lo, Kelly Lu, Theresa Muñoz and Jingling Wu, while live music performances will come from singer-songwriters Fiona Soe Paing and Miwa Nagato-Apthorp, Krina Cayabyab, Coralie Usmani, and Queen of Harps with ILYSSIT. There will also be a dance performance commissioned by ESEA Creatives and brought to life by ESEA dancers, and a DJ afterparty featuring Fourth Precinct (Dahl Palfrey), Jocelyn Dinsmor and YY Wang.

‘Liquid Identities is about cultural depth – many of us have come here not temporarily, but to put down roots and build futures for the next generations. This festival celebrates both the preservation of our cultures and the creation of something new. Rather than focusing on marginalisation or fitting into diversity checklists, we invite audiences to value the quality, richness, and distinctiveness of our art,’ said Lok Pui Lo, the festival's programmer and producer.

Liquid Identities, Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh, Sunday 28 September.