Next month, online festival Peer to Peer: UK/HK brings five newly commissioned artworks from some of the most exciting artists working with new media, technology and digital platforms.

TEXT: Denise Tsui
IMAGES: Courtesy of the artists and Peer to Peer: UK/HK

Curated by Hong Kong-based independent curator Ying Kwok, online festival Peer to Peer: UK/HK will take place from 11 through 14 November, 2020, with an extended programme of activities through the month.

Working closely with partner institutions across the UK and Hong Kong, the five newly commissioned artworks form part of a larger online exhibition of artworks from UK- and Hong Kong-based artists nominated by a festival partner institution, while the wider festival programme comprises of a series of digital residencies taking place across the social media channels of its partner organisations, as well as a richly informative set of curated panel discussions.

At the heart of the festival is an emphasis on collaboration and sharing. Led by University of Salford Art Collection, Open Eye Gallery and Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (CFCCA), Peer to Peer: UK/HK is supported by Arts Council England and GREAT campaign and strives to foster artistic cultural exchange between the UK and Hong Kong’s visual arts sector.

“We are undergoing a new phase where we have to unlearn our way of life and re-establish new ones. Investing in and developing the new ways of international collaboration is vital in growing the strength of the arts and culture sector,” says Kwok.

The festival is free to access. For further information and to register online visit https://peertopeerexchange.org/

Antonio Roberts, Untitled, 2020, video
In his video work, Birmingham-based Antonio Roberts explores the meaning of ownership and authorship in an age impacted by digital technology. Untitled will demonstrate the creative potential of ‘live coding,’ a performative practice where artists make music and visual art live using programming technology.

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley. I cant remember a time i didn’t need you, 2020, interactive story
London-based artist and animator Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley uses animation, sound, performance and video games to communicate the experiences of Black trans people. In her interactive digital story, a mysterious fog takes over a city, changing all within it.

Hetain Patel, Spectrum 2, 2020, single channel HD Video, acrylic paint
Using drawing and animation, London-based artist and performance maker Hetain Patel explores the physical manifestation of three different, cultural influences on his body and identity: Bruce Lee, Spider-Man and an Indian squatting  position.

Lee Kai Chung, Theatre Exile (working Title), 2020, single-channel video
Hong Kong-based Lee Kai Chung uses historical events, political systems and ideologies to inform his artistic research. Theatre Exile is the fourth part of a pentalogy exploring aspects of diaspora and displacement, drawing inspiration from his research of Jewish documentary filmmaker Gertrude Wolfson and Japanese film producer Nagamasa Kwakita.

Sharon Lee Cheuk Wun, Same River Twice, 2020, gelatin-silver prints, 6-channel video, 6 sets of moving images uploaded on Google Map
Using Google Maps’ Street View, Hong Kong-based artist and photographer Sharon Lee Cheuk Wun explores the online record of Hong Kong in 2014, revisiting key moments in the city’s recent history to re-photograph the same street views using analogue photography to create a hybrid half-positive-half-negative digital map as a means to explore themes of absence, loss and memory.