Kao Fan (1997–)
Born in 1997, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Currently lives and works in Tamsui, Taiwan
BFA in Fine Arts, National Kaohsiung Normal University
MFA in Fine Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts

Kao Fan’s artistic practice primarily revolves around sculpture, installation, and writing. Since 2021, he has also ventured into production-related work. His past works often explore the relationship between space, site transitions, and reality, constantly experimenting with the dialogue and connections between artworks, spatial environments, and the observer. Through this process, he examines both the collective and individual experience, seeking to redefine personal and bodily presence within layered creative contexts.

His work also extends to investigating bodily perception, exploring how sensory experiences are shaped by rituals, spatial configurations, and the uncontrollable, unpredictable elements within the interaction between viewer and artwork. These unexpected occurrences provoke a conscious recognition of one’s subjectivity, compelling the viewer to reflect on their relationship with the artwork, space, and site. Kao’s artistic inquiry thus becomes an ongoing dialogue—one that intertwines personal life experiences with deeper existential questions.

Exhibition Statement
Explaining my recent stagnation in creating, viewing exhibitions, or engaging in artistic dialogues in a formal written format feels almost impossible—awkward, even embarrassing. The best I can do is describe my gradual return to artmaking as a rehabilitation process, a way of navigating through the questions and concerns that seep in through the cracks of daily life.

One of my most striking exhibition experiences in recent years involved an artist contemplating the shifting, overlapping roles of a photographer as a creator, documentarian, and family member. Outside the exhibition, while smoking and chatting, he casually shared a story about an encounter with a moth in Wanhua. I wasn’t fully focused on his words—I was more captivated by his genuine, unguarded way of sharing the story with his friends.

It was only after I got home that the memory of the moth story resurfaced, leading me to an array of existential questions about fate and biology.

The saying “like a moth to a flame” suggests that moths are drawn to light. However, in reality, moths are not attracted to light itself—they lose their sense of direction because of it. In nature, celestial light sources like the sun and moon serve as stable navigational guides, allowing moths to maintain a steady course by traveling in parallel alignment with the light.

However, when they encounter an artificial light source like a streetlamp, the close proximity disrupts their orientation. Instead of maintaining a straight path, the light’s angle constantly shifts in their perception, causing them to spiral endlessly toward the source—lost in an aimless pursuit until they collapse from exhaustion.

Like those unknowingly caught in the pull of nihilism, drifting in endless cycles of seeking and losing, light itself becomes both guidance and illusion—a pursuit of destiny in an infinite journey.

Dates:  June 13 (Thu) – June 29 (Sat)
 Opening Reception:  June 15 (Sat), 15:00
 Opening Hours:  14:00 – 21:00
 Venue:  FOGARTS (No. 94, Qian St., Shilin District, Taipei)
 Artists:  Kao Fan (@kao_fan__20)