A new exhibition is opening at Kingsland Road dry cleaners, the Steamroom, showcasing multicultural art by Scottish-Chinese artist Sarah Kwan.

Kwan’s newest “East meets West” collection will feature a selection of prints, tea towels, notebooks and cards, highlighting the connections between Scottish and Chinese culture in a lighthearted and colourful way.

Ms Kwan said: “I want to share a fun and light-hearted look at the similarities between Scottish and Chinese culture. I was born and raised in Scotland by my Chinese family and have an interesting perspective on what it means to be Scottish.

“The message I would like to share through my art is that even though we are all made up of different parts, we are all human at the end of the day. I’d like to bring that humour through. My work talks about connections rather than what separates us.

“I'm delighted to be able to showcase this through The Steamroom. It is a great platform here for east and south east Asia artists to showcase their works, giving us a chance for representation.”

Ms Kwan’s work includes ‘Aye & Brew Tea Set’ which places a popular Scottish soft drink in a Chinese Tea Set, the ‘Teacake Dim Sum’ design with chocolate teacakes sitting in a bamboo basket like Chinese dumplings, and ‘Double Happiness Thistles' where popular Chinese characters blend together with Scotland's beautiful National Flower.

Tony Chung, the British-born Chinese owner of The Steamroom, said: “Sarah is really Scottish and also really Chinese.

“And that is a sentence I frequently use to describe myself. I can see that in her series, love how she blends her Scottish and Chinese roots together.

“I also love the quirkiness, vibrant colours and the best of all her humour. My favourite is the Tunnocks tea cake in a bamboo steamer illustration.”

%image(15009760, type="article-full", alt="Artist Sarah Kwan's "East meets West" art collection.")

The Steamroom, owned by the husband-and-wife duo, Tony and Fran, aims to support and inspire the upcoming generation of east and south east Asian talent as it considers itself, and it's integrational legacy, to be a part of the Hackney’s multicultural fabric.

The exhibition will open from June 5-19.

%image(15009761, type="article-full", alt="The Steamroom drycleaners in Haggerston.")