MANCHESTER.- esea contemporary is presenting The Contest of the Fruits, the first UK institutional solo exhibition by the internationally acclaimed art collective Slavs and Tatars. Running from 14 June to 14 September 2025, the exhibition is an exploration of language, politics, religion, and humour through the lens of a 19th-century Uighur poem, reimagined as a vibrant animated film and rap battle.

Presented in esea contemporary’s main gallery, The Contest of the Fruits is Slavs and Tatars’ first film, bringing to life a satirical Uighur poem through a dynamic rap battle between thirteen fruits. From the mulberry to the pomegranate, the quince to the jujube, each fruit’s physiognomy is shaped by its Uighur name, rendered in exquisite Arabic calligraphy. The film, accompanied by an original soundtrack performed by Uighur diaspora rapper Nash Tarr and mixed by Polish musician Lubomir Grzelak (aka Lutto Lento), blends pop, trap, and traditional maqam elements, offering a fresh and provocative take on Uighur culture’s syncretic and linguistic richness.

The original poem, first translated into English in 1936 by Gunnar Jarring, stages a verbal dispute (munāẓara) that resonates with themes of resilience and resistance. Through this animated adaptation, Slavs and Tatars invite audiences to engage with the complexities of Uighur identity, celebrating its ethnographic heritage while interrogating contemporary socio-political narratives.

Upon entering the exhibition, visitors will encounter Self-Help, a large-scale wallpaper installation featuring vibrant, colourful hands, translating Simurgh–a Sufi symbol of transcendence and rebirth–into international sign language. Having supposedly witnessed the destruction of the world three times over, the flaming bird Simurgh can be found across the Turkic-Persianate world, a mascot of sorts of the artist collective’s geographic remit. Installed against this backdrop are several sculptural and wall-based artworks, including Signal (2025), a newly commissioned work from Slavs and Tatars’ latest cycle, Simurgh Self-Help. Presented in esea contemporary’s communal project space, Signal reimagines the bird with an amameh (turban) and a glowing warm orange light. Evoking the flashing signals of emergency vehicles, Signal bridges the remote and the immediate, the spiritual and the critical, drawing visitors into a sacred space of reflection and connection.