Choy Ka Fai

Biography

Choy Ka Fai is a Berlin-based, Singaporean artist whose visionary practice centers on the cosmological power of dance. Operating at the intersection of visual anthropology, technology, and performance, his multidisciplinary work transcends conventional boundaries to speculate on realities beyond the human.

In 2019, Ka Fai initiated CosmicWander, a seminal inquiry into Asian shamanic dance practices. Synthesizing rigorous field research and choreographic exploration, the project debuted with a solo exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum in 2021, alongside the virtual reality experience Blue Sky Academy at tanzhaus nrw, Düsseldorf. Key iterations within this ongoing cycle include Postcolonial Spirits (Tanz im August, 2021), which utilizes telepresence technology to transmit a Javanese trance dance to global audiences, and Yishun Is Burning (Tanzplattform Deutschland, 2022), an evocative work exploring queer voguing and digital avatarism. Expanding this trajectory, his 2026 short film Sound of Prayer ventures into the Himalayas and the psychophysical landscapes of Vajrayana Buddhism.

Parallel to this cosmological trajectory is SoftMachine: The Return (2015–2025), the culmination of a decade-long documentary project tracing the evolving lives of four Asian dance-makers. Reuniting with long-term collaborators, the performance deeply interrogates themes of friendship, resilience, and creative legacy. Functioning as a corporeal archive, SoftMachine transforms years of documentary footage and personal histories into a living repository of dance that extends far beyond the traditional stage.

Ka Fai's performance works have been commissioned and presented by major institutions globally, including Tanz im August (Berlin), Stary Teatr (Kraków), and Kyoto Experiment (Japan). His ongoing expansion into the visual arts has been featured prominently at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin), the Biennale of Sydney, and the Singapore Art Museum. A former resident artist at tanzhaus nrw and Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Ka Fai holds an M.A. in Design Interactions from the Royal College of Art, London.

Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION

2009–2011

Master of Art in Design Interactions, Royal College of Art, United Kingdom

2002–2004

Diploma in Multimedia Art, Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore

PERFROMANCE WORKS

2026

A Hundred Gazes, Narodowy Stary Teatr, Krakow, Poland

SoftMachine: The Return, Spring Festival Utrech, The Netherlands

SoftMachine: The Return, Real Dance Festival, Hannover, Germany

2025

SoftMachine: The Return, Humbolt Forum Berlin, Germany

SoftMachine: the Return, Esplanade Dans Focus, Singapore

The Third Prince Game, HAU4, Berlin, Germany

2024

Sometimes I See The Future, Tanzhaus Nrw Dusseldorf, Germany

Unbearable Darkness, Spring Festival, Utrecht, The Netherlands

2023

Unbearable Darkness, Romaeuropa Festival, Roma, Italy

Yishun Is Burning, Trafo Art Center Budapest, Hungary

Yishun Is Burning, Sidestep Festival, Zodiak Helsinski, Finland

2022

Yishun Is Burning, Tanzplatform Deutschland, HAU2, Berlin, Germany

Yishun Is Burning, Julidans Festival, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Tragic Spirits, Hybrid Biennale Hellerau, Dresden, Germany

PostColonial Spirits, Indonesia Bertutur Festival, Borobudur, Indonesia

PostColonial Spirits, Spring Festival, Utrecht, The Netherlands

2021

PostColonial Spirits, TanzImAugust Festival, HAU1, Berlin, Germany

Yishun is Burning, Tanzhaus nrw, Dusseldorf, Germany

Blue Sky Academy, Tanzhaus nrw, Dusseldorf, Germany

2020

Tragic Spirits, Taipei Arts Festival, Taiwan

2019

UnBearable Darkness, Taipei Arts Festival, Taiwan

UnBearable Darkness, Kyoto Experiment, Japan

SoftMachine, Theatre Del Canal, Madrid, Spain

2018

SoftMachine, Grec Festival, Barcenola, Spain

SoftMachine, Santiago A Mill Festival, Santiago, Chile

UnBearable Darkness, Tanzhaus nrw, Dussendolf Germany

UnBearable Darkness, ImPulstanz Festival, Vienna, Austria

Dance Clinic, ImPulstanz Festival, Vienna, Austria

2017

Dance Clinic, Tanzhaus nrw, Dusseldorf, Germany

SoftMachine, Explore Festival 7 city tour, The Netherlands

SoftMachine, World Theatre Festival, Sofia & Varna , Bulgaria

2016

SoftMachine, Out Of Asia 2, Sadler's Wells, London, UK

SoftMachine, Oz Asia Festival, Adelaide, Austrialia

SoftMachine, Kyoto Experiment, Japan

2015

SoftMachine, Tanz Im August Festival, Berlin, Germany

SoftMachine, ImPulsTanz Festival, Vienna, Austria

SoftMachine, Dans Fest, Esplanade Singapore

2014

Notion Dance Fiction, Plaform Media Festival, Moscow

2013

Notion Dance Fiction, Tanz Im August Festival, Berlin, Germany

2012

Notion Dance Fiction, Kyoto Experiment, Japan

2011

Notion Dance Fiction, Festival Tokyo, Japan

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2026

CosmicWander Expedition, Ravines, Toronto, Canada

2024

In Search of The Tragic Spirits, Asakusa, Japan

2021

CosmicWander Expedition, Singapore Art Museum

CosmicWander Expedition, KINDL, TanzImAugust, Berlin, Germany

2019

SoftMachine Expedition, McaM Museum, Shanghai, China

2017

The Wind That Cuts The Body, NTU-CCA Singapore

2015

The Choreography of Things, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany

2014

Lan Fang Chronicles, ArtStage, Singapore

2012

Lan Fang Chronicles, Singapore Arts Festival, Singapore

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2026

Industrial 30000: Silk Road, Kunsthalle Dortmund, Germany

Asia Pop, Nrw Forum, Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf, Germany

Double Take by Kadist, Loop Barcelona, Spain

2025

An Offering A burning A Prayer, 4A Gallery, Sydney, Australia

Musafiri, House of World Culture, Berlin, Germany

2024

What is It Like, Arebyte Gallery, London, UK

Ten Thousand Suns, Biennale of Sydney, Australia

TanzenWelt, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, Germany

2022

Can Everybody See My Screen, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore

2021

Digital Corporeality, Contemporary Culture Lab(C-Lab), Taipei, Taiwan

2020

Escape Routes, Bangkok Arts Biennale, Bangkok, Thailand

2014

Design & Violence, Museum of Modern Art, MoMa, NewYork, USA

5th Tokyo Art Meeting, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan

RESIDENCY

2026

Goethe Institut Artist Residency, Madrid, Spain

2025

PACT Zollverein Artist Residency, Essen, Germany

2022

Transcultural Academy Residency, State Museum Dresden, Germany

2019

STARTS (Science,Tech + Art) Residency Program, Euopean Union

2017

NTU CCA-Center for Contemporary Art, Singapore

AFFILIATIONS

2023–2024

Guest Professor, Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design, Germany

2017–2019

Resident Artist, Tanzhaus nrw, Dusseldolf, Germany

2014–2015

Resident Artist, Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany

2007–2009

Associate Artistic Director, TheatreWorks Singapore

PERMANENT COLLECTION

2025

Kadist Foundation, Paris & San Francisco

2022

Singapore Art Museum, Singapore

2015

Public Art Project, Land Transport Authority, Singapore