Peter William Holden

It's hard to see a photograph physically fading, erasing itself with the bombardment of light but hold no doubts it is subtly becoming elusive like all we hold dear. I often find myself contemplating the fragility of the moment, and I believe this elucidates why the ephemeral nature of kinetic sculpture and film first allured me. The way beauty can lie within a physical movement and the duality, that very movement begets destruction!

So, with its flaws, it seems an appropriate place for my ideas, emotions, and hopes. Somewhere vulnerable where I can distill them and extract their essences like perfume. Initially, I began by exploring ways to unify cinematography with sculpture. Investigating these potentials, I amalgamated computational devices with robotic and mechanical elements to create mandala-like kinetic sculptures. I considered these kinetic sculptures solely a medium, just a necessary step to achieve what I believe is the focal point. That being the transitory animations — choreographies created when these sculptures are in motion.

Currently, I find my work diversifying, allowing me to explore more conceptual ideas relating to time and perception. My recent work utilizes unconventional slow frame rates to produce what I would define as ambient animation.


These works have been exhibited at various museums and international festivals: National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea. Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China. TransAmériques Montréal Canada. “Dance Machines” Lille3000 France. RIAUS, Royal Institute Adelaide, Australia. File Festival - São Paulo, Brazil. Amber Technology and Arts Festival Istanbul, Turkey. Incheon International Digital Arts festival, Korea. WRO Expanded City Media Art Biennale Wroclaw, Poland. Kapelica Gallery Ljubljana, Slovenia. E-Art Festival Shanghai, China. Almost Cinema, Vooruit, Gent, Belgium. Ars Electronica Linz, Austria

Awards, grants, residencies

2020 Stipendien der Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen, Germany
2013 Museums Quartier, Vienna, Austria
2014 Visual Music Awards, Frankfurt, Germany
2010 Scène Nationale de Montbéliard, France.
2008 First Prize category Media Art.13th CanariasMediafest. Gran Canaria, Spain.
2007 XIX Biennal d'Eivissa, Museu d'Art Contemporani d'Eivissa, Mencions Honorífiques

Solo / Duo Exhibitions

2020
Ex Machina, with Clemens Fürtler, OÖ KULTURQUARTIER, Linz, Austria.
Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig, Germany.

2018
"BALLET MÉCANIQUE EN TROIS MOUVEMENTS", Stereolux. Nantes, France.

2014
Dance Machine, Merge Festival, Supported by Tate Modern, London, UK.

2011
Inertia, Scène Nationale de Montbéliard, France.

2008
Kapelica Gallery Ljubljana, Slovenia.


Group Exhibitions

2023
Mois Multi 2023, Espace 400e, Québec, Canada.
LUNA Nights 2023, Media Art Friesland, Leeuwarden, Holland.

2022
Tales of Togetherness, KIKK Festival, Namur, Belgium.

2020
Speculum Artium, Trbovelj, Slovenia.


2019
Dionysian / Super-X, K11 art space, Guangzhou, China.

2018
"The Body is the Message, File Festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
SINGULARITY NOW, Athens Digital Arts Festival, Athens, Greece.

2017
Cybernetic Choreographies, SPEKTRUM, Berlin, Germany.
3rd edition, The Wrong Biennale, Online.
Speculum Artium, Trbovlje, Slovenia.


2016
Interferences, KIKK Festival, Namur, Belgium.
2nd Xinjiang International Art Biennial, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
Clair-Obscur Filmfestival, Basel, Switzerland.
A-Part Contemporary Art Festival, Les Baux-de-Provence, France
"come cross the limit"", File Festival, São Paulo, Brazil.
ONCE Foundation Contemporary Art Biennale, Madrid, Spain.


2015
Bucharest International Dance Film Festival, Bucharest, Romanian.
TURN ON THE CITY, Burgas, Bulgaria.
"Robot Essay", National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea.
IFVA Festival, Hong Kong Arts Center, Hong Kong, China.


2014
New Media, Digital Art Festival Taipei, Taiwan
The Digital Promise, ArtFutura, Various locations.
Robots, ArtRock, Saint-Brieuc, France.
Digitalia, Szczecin, Poland.


2013
1St Shanghai Design Exibition, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China.
AURORA, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Gamerz Festival, Aix-en-Provence, France.
DA fest, Sofia, Bulgaria.


2012
DIGITAL MARRAKECH FESTIVAL, Marrakesh, Morocco.
NEoN Digital Arts Festival, Dundee, Scotland.
3rd Art and Science International Exibition and Symposium, Beijing, China.
Festival de Danse et des Arts multiples de Marseille, Marseille, France.


2011
Dance Machines, Monaco Dance Forum, Monaco.
Inertia, Scène Nationale de Montbéliard, France.
Festival TransAmériques, Montréal, Canada
Bouillants #3, Cultural center Le Volume, vern-sur-Seiche, France.
DES HOMMES 2.1, FESTIVAL DES SOURIS, Saint-Médard-en-Jalles, France.


2010
“Dance Machines”, Lille3000, France.
Uncanny Valley, RIAUS, Royal Institute Adelaide, Australia.
VIA Festival, Maubeuge, France.
EXIT Festival, Créteil, Paris, France.


2009
Amber`09, Technology and Arts Festival, Istanbul, Turkey.
Circles, Time-Based Art Festival, Portland Oregon, USA.
Incheon International Digital Arts festival, Incheon, South Korea.
WRO Expanded City Media Art Biennale, BWA Awangarda gallery, Wroclaw, Poland.
Lateral Movement: Art & the moving image, The Media Resource Centre and Big Pond Adelaide Film Festival, Australia.
VideoDansa, Barcelona, Spain.


2008
“Move”, Digitial Arts Festival. La Coruna, Spain.
boDig 08, Istanbul, Turkey.


2007
“La scène dans tous ses états”, [ars] Numerica, Montbeliard, France
Technologically Expanded Dance, Lisbon, Portugal.
“Digital Art & Magic Moments”, E-Art Festival, Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai, China.
Le monde est plein d’images, , Hochiminh Ville, Vietnam.
Almost Cinema, Vooruit, Gent, Belgium.
"Alchemy", Robodock, Technology & Arts Festival, Amsterdam, Holland.
Goodbye Privacy, Festival Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria.
Museo Municipal San Telmo, San Sebastian, Spain.
"Kunst Ist Kein Spass", 24-Stunden-Ausstellung, GalerieRieRiemann, Leipzig, Germany.


2006
XIX Biennal d'Eivissa, Ibizagráfic'06, , Museu d'Art Contemporani d'Eivissa, Spain.
"MatchMaking", Trondheim Electronic Arts Centre, Trondheim, Norway.
"entre danse et arts plastiques" , Marseilles Museums (cinéma Le Miroir), Marseille, France.
Kultur Leioa Pasabidea, Bilbao, Spain.