By China Now, British Council

31 March 2026 - 08:29

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Conceived as a pilot programme to foster international collaboration and creative exchange, the 2x2 Residency supported disabled artists from the UK and China in exploring new ideas, deepening practice and connecting meaningfully across different cultural contexts. Supported by British Council and Unlimited, the residency was conceived not as a showcase of finished work, but as a space for shared learning and artistic experimentation within the international disability arts sector. 

Across two in-person residencies at The Work Room, and BY ART MATTERS, four artists were invited into dialogue with one another. Momentum was sustained through recurring online meetings, allowing common threads between practices to develop, with the exchange between the artists operating as a shared language. 

Rather than exporting a model of “best practice”, the 2x2 Residency centred artists’ lived experiences, viewing difference as an engine for creative collaborative practice. It proposed disability-led approaches to international exchange, asking what meaningful support looks like when artists and organisations meet across very different accessibility environments.

As described by 2x2 Residency Coordinator, Luo Hongyu:
“the UK’s relatively mature resource facilities and institutional guarantees versus China’s flexible support networks that rely more on interpersonal trust. The residency itself does not pass judgment on which is superior. Instead, it fosters reflection by establishing a dialogue within real-world contexts.” – Luo Hongyu, Residency Coordinator (Hangzhou)

Understanding Context Before Collaboration

For UK organisations seeking to establish and sustain dialogue between the two sectors, it is important to understand the distinct context in which disability arts operate in China. 

Although China has a population of over 1.1billion, it is estimated that approximately 85 million people, around 6%, are people with disabilities, compared to a global average of 16%. This underestimation is most likely due to relatively higher thresholds for disability definitions, in addition to cultural and social stigma that can result in disabled people being hidden or excluded from public life.

In an online discussion hosted by British Council, Lynn Fu, co-founder of Arts Access Shanghai, and Cat Sheridan, Senior Producer from Unlimited, discussed the contexts of disability arts in both countries. Fu, noted that in a large and diverse country such as China, terminologies and understandings of disability can vary radically. 

Official documentation commonly uses terminology that suggests the adoption of an institutionally-held Medical Model of Disability, where the person with disability is perceived to have an individual condition or deficit. However, Chinese NGOs and grassroots organisations often apply a variety of terms aligning more closely with a Social Model of Disability recognising that people are disabled by social and structural barriers. 

Despite the work of campaigners and organisations, Fu identifies several systemic barriers that continue to shape the disability arts landscape in China. Awareness, Accessibility, and Experience and Expertise are all fundamental considerations to make when developing projects with partners in this sector. 

UK and China: building long-term relationships 

For UK organisations, the 2x2 Residency demonstrates the value of approaching collaboration with China’s disability arts sector through flexibility, and long-term relationship building, rather than exporting models of “best practice”. By centring disabled artists’ needs and embedding access from the outset, the residency created conditions for meaningful exchange. 

International connections of this kind generate new knowledge across both sectors, supporting artists and organisations to develop shared understanding of disability art practice. As Luo Hongyu describes, this process allows participants to engage in  “sowing the seeds of a new “grammar” into the soil of the wider community” (Luo Hongyu). 

Developing projects with partners 

Awareness

Awareness and understanding of disability arts in China is primarily framed by the work of China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe, a national performing arts company, who since 1987 have been a major part of the country’s cultural diplomacy. Large-scale spectacles of this kind align with grander national narratives of heroism and inspiration, and sometimes risk being interpreted primarily through the lens of overcoming adversity. 

At the other end of the scale, disability arts might be perceived as amateur, or positioned mainly within charitable or therapeutic contexts. Between these extremes lies an underused and generative space for experimentation, where disabled artists can engage audiences through diverse artistic forms and practices that centre their lived experiences. 

Within the independent arts sector, disability-led work is often not prioritised. Many cultural venues are financially stretched, and therefore cautious about taking risks in programming. However, thanks to key disability arts events like Luminous Festival, run by organisation Body On&On, awareness is increasing.

During the Hangzhou phase of the 2x2 residency, BY ART MATTERS also organised its inaugural Inclusive Arts Festival. The festival raised awareness of local disability arts initiatives, offering visibility to the resident artists through open studios, workshops, and a panel discussion. It also brought the artists into dialogue with the wider disability arts community from across China. 

Accessibility

Due to many existing physical barriers to cultural venues in China, there is sometimes a hesitancy from cultural organisations to develop disability arts projects or engage with disabled audiences. Challenges may include a lack of fully accessible bathrooms, limited or adequate parking, or difficulties in accommodating people due to inflexibility in seating layouts or the absence of elevators. 

In 2023 the Law of the Construction of Barrier-Free Environments made progress in encouraging cultural venues to improve their public provision, adapting spaces and services to better meet the needs of disabled and older people. 

In advance of projects, organisations can centre accessibility by recognising artists as experts of their own needs and disabilities. Practical measures can include pre-visit recces, detailed site reports, and flexibility in both physical infrastructures and project pacing. The 2x2 Residency appointed a Residency Coordinator to support communication across language barriers, cultures and access needs. This role ensured disabled artists were not required to navigate complex barriers themselves allowing artists to engage fully in experimentation, risk-taking and establishing trust with one another. 

Experience and Expertise

Many arts organisations lack expertise in working in disability arts, which can result in uncertainty and a fear of ‘getting it wrong’. This can lead to organisations avoiding engagement with disabled artists or audiences altogether. 

Working to address this gap, platforms like Arts Access Shanghai develop bespoke training programmes, contribute modules to arts management university courses, and produce events that build sector readiness for supporting disabled artists and their work. Training combines practical and theoretical knowledge with locally grounded understanding of disability, strengthening organisational confidence and networks. 

By working together as an ecosystem of organisational support (including accommodation and transport partners) organisations can learn from diverse working practices, resources and experiences, ensuring responsiveness across teams and departments. For the 2x2 Residency, partners adapted BY ART MATTERS’s standard residency approach by consolidating expectations, flexibility, and access responsibilities in a Memorandum of Understanding.