Northwick Park Hospital and the University of Westminster’s Harrow Campus came alive with creativity and collaboration as they hosted AIR Ritual, a week-long programme of exhibitions, talks and workshops forming part of the Brent Biennial 2025. Curated by Annie Jael Kwan, a PhD researcher and curator at the Westminster School of Arts, the events brought together artists, academics and the community to explore the transformative power of art.
The Brent Biennial has seen an array of programmes taking place across the London borough, from workshops and talks to performances and exhibitions. Titled Bones, Stones and Calling the Four Elements, this year’s Brent Biennial focused on the four key elements of water, earth, fire and air, with each theme exploring how art can encapsulate each one.
The week-long programme ran between 17 and 24 October and opened with Breathing Space: Art, Wellbeing and Collective Care, organised by the Arts Communication and Culture Research Communities Group, to instigate an open dialogue between artists, researchers and healthcare practitioners exploring how creativity can nurture wellbeing. This was followed by workshops such as Hack the World Around You and Cameraless Animation which showcased the innovative spirit of Westminster’s Creative Media Arts BA Honours students and colleagues.
An exhibition at the University’s Harrow Campus included The Unshakable Destiny (2021–2025) by Nikki Lam, a moving image trilogy exploring Hong Kong through themes of memory, diaspora and transformation. Another was titled Our Shrines by David Blandy, a series of drawings made collectively with his Malaysian-based collaborators, which imagined speculative futures through gaming, collaboration and ritual, while Quek Jia Qi and Aaron Lim’s interactive mobile library structure, inspired by night markets, offered a space for collective exchange of learning.
At Northwick Park Hospital, Westminster PhD and research students exhibited work that connected art with healing and materiality. These included Effects by Joe Grahame that explored nature and recovery through digital print compositions, Structures of Touch by Laura Johanna König, a ceramic exploration of skin, touch and sensory presence, and Fragile Like Life by Yuki Nakamura, a poetic porcelain installation reflecting on fragility and resilience.
The programme culminated in the Print Gully Zine Fair, a celebration of independent publishing and radical imagination, with panels that explored gaming and alternative platforms for new narratives and futures.
Annie Jael Kwan said: “It's been energising to be able to present the Brent Biennial AIR Ritual programme in partnership with the University of Westminster. The programme features collaborations with the University’s colleagues and students, engaging with its exciting research, programmes and facilities, and highlighting the institution’s reputation for leading innovation in the arts.
“We are also excited to bring many established and emerging artists from the UK and internationally to the campus, including critically acclaimed Irish artist filmmaker Jesse Jones, Melbourne-based Hong Kong artist Nikki Lam, artist and game-maker David Blandy, and Singapore based artists Adeline Kueh, Jia Qi Quek and Aaron Lim. This speaks to the university’s continued practice of expansive, experimental transnational collaborations.”
The University of Westminster’s contribution to the Brent Biennial reflects its ongoing commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including 17: Partnership for the Goals and 3: Health and Wellbeing. By bridging the worlds of art, health and research, AIR Ritual offered a powerful testament to how imagination can connect institutions, disciplines and communities across North West London.
Find out more about the School of Arts at the University of Westminster.
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