LIVERPOOL, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Liverpool's biennial International Photography Festival will see this year the city twinning with Hong Kong, organizers have announced.

The festival, LOOK/17 will explore the theme "Cities of Exchange" when it takes place between April 7 and May 14.

Photographers from Liverpool and Hong Kong will look at a range of issues in both cities, including social housing, architecture, colonialism, commerce and urbanism.

LOOK/17 this year is to work more closely with Liverpool's award-winning Open Eye Gallery to establish an international model for the festival.

Festival curator Ying Kwok said: "This festival centers on the theme of urbanism and the challenges we face globally and locally. I believe artists play an important role in inventing their own universe, and re-inject the liveliness into the world we live in."