Vvzela Kook (Hong Kong) is a new media artist whose practice explores the byproducts and outcasts of modernity, uncovering the architectural, ecological, and human narratives embedded within complex systems. Working across digital media, installation, and research-based methodologies, she examines the ways histories, infrastructures, and technologies shape contemporary understandings of place, memory, and coexistence. Her work often traces overlooked connections between human and non-human actors, revealing how systems of exchange, power, and representation continue to inform the present.
During her residency, Vvzela will develop a transdisciplinary research project investigating the transoceanic movement of so-called “exotic animals” following European maritime expansion. Focusing on the ways these animals functioned as cultural symbols, diplomatic instruments, and spectacles of imperial power, she will explore how their arrival and display contributed to the formation of new institutional structures in the West. Through archival research and critical inquiry, she will also consider how the introduction of these species intersected with and transformed Indigenous philosophies of interspecies coexistence, opening broader questions about ecology, colonialism, and the politics of representation.
Recent exhibitions and presentations include: Stay Connected: Navigating the Cloud, Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong (2025); DigiRadiance: A Digital Interpretation of the Architecture and History of Victoria Gaol, Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong (2023); A Double Listen: Yama no Oto, Hong Kong House at Echigo-Tsumari, Japan (2023); Confidential Records: Overwrite, Para Site, Hong Kong (2020); and City Flip-Flop, C-LAB, Taiwan (2019).
Born in Dalian, China, Vvzela is currently based in Hong Kong.
With support from:
Cheng‑Lan Foundation through the Harbour Exchange Fellowship Programme, in partnership with Para Site
Artist’s website
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Please note all artist-in-residence biographies are accurate at the time of their residency. For up-to-date bios please visit the artist’s website.