Peter William Holden
1970 Burnley, Uk
Since 1997 Leipzig, Germany

I grew up in a struggling northern industrial town during Britain's turbulent transition to a post-industrial economy. Amid the soot-blackened terraced houses, dilapidated mills, and rapidly vanishing chimney stacks, were the valleys and hills of magnificent beauty. I was part of the last generation of children allowed to roam these streets and the valleys freely. To paddle in babbling brooks, build dens in sporadic woodlands — a freedom to be creative and curious. My evolving curiosity played a significant role in my teenage years. Mass media, especially music, movies, and computers, shaped my inspirations. I learned to breakdance, which gave me an appreciation for choreographed movement. Using the Commodore 64, I taught myself how to apply mathematics to create visual patterns and sounds. At seventeen, I enrolled in an arts foundation course to pursue these interests. Unfortunately, my parents would not support my attendance, turning what could have been a short journey into an Odyssey.

Not to blame them — for many working-class people, life is something that is done to you, and without wealth, one is at the mercy of the wind. Growing up in a socially divided Britain, my parents were never invited to participate in cultural activities, so from their perspective, a career in the arts was a pipe dream. However, this odyssey led me to learn numerous skills, and always, in the back of my mind, I knew I would find a way to realize my dreams. Hardship, though, is not a particularly kind teacher, leaving scars that cannot be seen or understood. There's nothing romantic in suffering; much more can be learned from kindness.

Thankfully, times change, and like abandoned factories that suddenly pulsed with acid house music, transformations seemed to be happening everywhere. There was hope. I was fortunate, and at 26 years old, I had a chance encounter with a performance artist, Andrew Bailey, at a friend's house over a high garden fence — so high that I couldn't see him. He suggested I go to Leipzig and work for an artist named Jim Whiting. I did, and I arrived in an environment where I could thrive. Shared knowledge helped me develop skills and led me to where I am today. These formative experiences inspired me to explore themes of transformation and time through my art.

I investigate ways to expand cinematic language by using sculpture as a medium for communicating experimental animation. In this process, I combine computational devices with robotic and mechanical parts to create mandala-inspired kinetic sculptures. I see these sculptures as a medium - an essential step in realizing what I believe is the primary focus: the ephemeral animations or choreographies that emerge when these sculptures are in motion. Currently, my work is delving into more conceptual ideas related to time and perception. Recent projects such as The Carousel and Observed, Observing, Observer utilize unconventional slow frame rates and imagery deconstruction to produce what I define as ambient animation.


Upcoming | Actual 2025

Sense of Wonder - PCD25@Porto, Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, Portugal.

Awards, grants, residencies

2020 #denkzeitstipendium, Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen, Germany
2014 Visual Music Awards, Frankfurt, Germany
2013 Museums Quartier, Vienna, Austria
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

2023
Repetition is a Form of Change, 20-21 Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe, UK.

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

2024
(Un)holy Light, Leuven, Belgium. Curator Juliette Bibasse.
Safra Numériques, Le Safran, Amiens, France.
Univers Numérious, Ugine, France.


2023
Mois Multi, Espace 400e, Québec, Canada.
LUNA Nights, 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.