London’s Queer East Explores the Untold Narratives of Asian LGBTQ+ Identity

Experimental art and film festival Queer East is taking over dozens of venues across London this spring, from iconic cultural institutions and indie cinemas to makeshift sauna-cinemas.

This year's edition of Queer East, running from 23 April to early June, celebrates LGBTQ+ cinema, live performance, and imagery from East and Southeast Asia, delving into the diverse experiences of what it means to be queer and Asian in today's world.

Now in its sixth edition, the festival was born out of a powerful need to confront the deep-rooted lack of Asian representation in film and art—a gap that continues to shape how stories are told on screen, and who gets to tell them. Through an innovative and diverse programme, Queer East aims to uplift Asian voices and break down harmful stereotypes.

“The richness of Asian and queer communities forms a vital part of the UK’s identity. Over the past six years, Queer East has forged a space for bold, alternative, and multifaceted expressions of artistic queerness,” says Yi Wang, the festival’s director.

To celebrate the opening of Queer East, we’ve selected some unmissable events to attend over the next month or so from the packed programme:

{ guttural },,,{ fleshless }, QUEERCIRCLE: 26 Apr — 17 May

A visceral exhibition that centres on notions of embodiment: from the ephemeral to the intangible, the virtual to the physical. Hosted at Docklands charity and cultural centre QUEERCIRCLE, the programme includes a live tattoo performance, an acupressure workshop, alongside prose, drawing, video games, and installations.

For more information, click here.

Things and Tingling, Rio Cinema (9 May)

This naughty midnight event in Dalston's iconic Rio Cinema explores the construction and socio-political significance of fetishes through seven short films and a live performance by shibari artists Hua Hua and DroneLarvae.

Here, There, or Somewhere Else, ESEA Community Centre: 10 May

How do we situate ourselves when we belong neither here nor there? From Vietnam to Germany, Tokyo to London, this series of short-form films navigate multiple cultural terrains through exploring the concept of home and identity, probing the cracks that lie between.

Queering Objects II—Community Poetry Workshop, Museum of the Home: 11 May

Led by celebrated poet Eric Yip, this workshop will allow 20 participants on a first-come, first-serve basis to read, discuss, and appreciate works by queer Asian poets and translators. There will also be an opportunity for creative writing activities that reimagine daily and unusual objects.

Bel Ami UK Premiere, ICA: 13 May

Fiery love stories that tackle identity politics and loneliness in the thorny backdrop of communist China. Genius lies in the film's backhanded criticisms of popular assumptions, cleverly touching on themes of gender roles, social etiquette, and age-appropriate behaviour.

aWokening, The Place: 16 May

Have you ever seen a wok used in dance? In this one-off contemporary performance, artist Winnie Ho uses the concept of wok chi (鑊氣)—the fleeting energy of wok cooking—as tool to explore her diasporic and queer identity.

For more information, click here.

Steamy Intimacies—A Shu Lea Cheang Special, Hackney Wick Community Sauna: 2 June

Popular sauna film series Steamy Intimacies returns! On 2 June, saunas become sticky film caves for an unprecedented showcase of early works by iconic 'gender hacking' artist, Shu Lea Cheang. Tickets include a 60-minute sauna session and a snack bag. Click here for more information.

Queer East runs from 23 April with events on until early June. Click here for more information and to find the full programme.