Biography

1929

  • Born in Tainan City, Taiwan

1947

  • Graduated from the Kaohsiung School of Industry, which was founded during the Japanese colonial period.
  • Entered the Taiwan Alkali Company and served as a draftsman in the technical office.

1950

  • Joined the armed forces as a volunteer, entered the first Taiwan serageant group.

1956

  • Discharged from the army, went back to work at the Taiwan Alkali Company.

1956-1959

  • Dedicated effort to photography. Works from this period include “Cherry Blossoms,” “Seagulls,” and “Mitsubishi Ge-ko,” which were entered at photo contests in japan. Ko also won a prize at the 15th Japan International Photo Salon.

1959

  • Attended the Tokyo college of Photography, Japan. Studied under Shigemori Koen, a master of contemporary photographic criticism, and immersed himself in contemporary photographic trends.

1961

  • Participated in the graduation exhibition of the Tokyo College of Photography, which was held at the Fuji Photo Salon in Tokyo.
  • Organized the Kaohsiung Photography Society with then Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-chuan and others. The Photography Society held two exhibitions.

1962

  • Finalist at the 1st Nikon International Photo-Contest; entered work is “Moon World.”
  • Held first solo exhibition at the Taiwan Shin Wen Daily News Gallery in Kaohsiung, work “Blind Mother” receives favorable criticism from Prof. Ku Hsien-liang, who was then one of the pioneers of modern art in Taiwan.

1963

  • Held solo exhibition at the National Arts Gallery of Taiwan curated by Prof. Ku Hsien-liang.
  • Participated in the “Brazil Biennial.”

1965

  • Invited to photograph the Henry Robinson Luce Memorial Church at Tunghai University in Taichung; this church was designed by the renowned architects I.M. Pei and Chen Chi-kwan.
  • Held third solo exhibition “Conductor Helen Quach” at the National Arts Gallery of Taiwan; this exhibition was curated by Pro. Ku Hsien-liang. The photograph “Female Tyrant” in this exhibition caused a sensation at the time.

1966

  • Displayed photographs of “Modern Dancers Mr. and Mrs. Al Huang,” who worked in US, at the Wen Hsing Gallery in Taipei.

1967

  • Held the “Retrospective Exhibition before Leaving for the United States” at the Taipei Wen Hsing Gallery; this exhibition featured American modern masters Alvin Ailly, Poul Taylor, Al Huang, and domestic sculptor Yang Ying-feng.
  • Si Chi Ko held the photographic exhibition “Modern Dancer Al Huang” at the Kennedy Memorial Hall in response to an invitation from the East West Center, University of Hawaii to participate in the 1967 Summer Festival of the Arts.

1968

  • Held solo exhitition “Modern Dancers Mr. and Mrs. Al Huang and Alvin Ailly” at the Inner Cultural Center, Los Angeles.
  • Held solo exhibition “The Best of American Modern Dance” at the Mi Chou Art Gallery, New York City; this exhibition featured Alvin Ailly, Poul Taylor, Geffery Holder, Carmen De Lavalaid, and Al Huang.

1970

  • “The Best of American Modern Dance” is exhibited at the Summer Dance Festival at the University of Connecticut.
  • Held solo exhibition at the University of Illinois. Ko begins to enter the elite commercial photography competitions in New York.

1973

  • Invited by the Ministry of Education to photograph Peking opera in Taiwan. The resulting photos are published in Time Magazine.
  • Work “Leaping Dragon” received the US 200th Anniversary Photographic Creativity Award, Art Director Club.

1971-1979

  • Cover photographer for fashion magazines including “Essence,” “House Beautiful,” and “Harper’s Bazzar”; produce many advertising photographs, including for New Cinema Line and United Airline, etc.

1979

  • Closed photo studio and left New York on a self-imposed exile. Conducts a photographic tour of southern European and North Africa, and visits the Sahara Desert for the first time. Developed a uniquely personal “visionary” style, and expressed a natural minimalist aesthetics that caused a sensation at the time. Ko has had a profound influence on photography in Taiwan since this time.

1981

  • Held simultaneous solo exhibitions at the Ron-Men Arts Gallery and Lithography Arts Gallery, Taipei and Taipei Print Maker Art Gallery (sponsored by China Times). Gave lectures at the National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, Shih Chien Hall, and Taichung library.

1984

  • Solo exhibition at the Home of Victoria, Hollywood, Los Angeles.

1985

  • May – Married to dancer Jessie Fan.
  • Becomes the first photographer from Taiwan to take photos of ethnic minorities in China. Ko’s exploits and his works are published in the China Times, China Times Weekly, and Human magazine.
  • Held solo exhibition at the Image Bank of New York.

1986

  • Held solo exhibition at the Taipei Gallery of the Chinese Information and Culture Center, New York.

1987-1990

  • Jointly created “Dun Huang Dance,” a collaboration with Jessie Fan, and performed multimedia visual design work. This work is performed at the Manhattan School of Music, Soho Dia Arts Foundation, National Theatre and Concert Hall, 3rd and 5th Hong Kong International Dance Conference, and the Hong Kong Fringe Club.

1988

  • Participated in the “International Photographers Exhibition” at the Soho Multimedia Arts Gallery in New York.

1990

  • Hosts the “Nature and Man” photography slide show and lecture at the Esalen Institute, a prominent academic retreat in California.
  • Conducts an invitational exhibition at the visual arts center of the Eastman Kodak Company Headquarters, Rochester, New York.
  • Held the solo exhibition “Also a Hermit” at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum; this exhibition contained 60 20″x24″ works printed using the dye transfer process.
  • Invited to display works at the Basel Art Festival in Switzerland by the Living Tao Foundation and Schweisfurth Foundation.

1991

  • Held solo exhibition at the Taipei Bankers Club.
  • Held solo exhibition at the Tainan Cultural Center.

1992

  • Four works “Leaping Dragon,” “Master Cheng Yen,” “Eternal Dialog, ” and “Golden Sea” chosen by the Government Information Office, Executive Yuan as representative of Taiwan’s National Image.
  • Served as art consultant for the performing arts program “Salute to the Republic of China” produced by the American TV Association; exhibitions were held at New York’s Lincoln Center and the National Theatre and Concert Hall in Taiwan.

1993

  • Performed photography for “Butterflies in Flight,” which was the theme of the ROC’s World Statement in the National Image campaign of the Government Information Office, Executive Yuan; this work was published in major newspapers and magazines worldwide.

1994

  • Held an invitational exhibition at New York’s prominent Hammer Gallery, and was the first photographer in 66 years to have held an exhibition at this gallery.
  • Work “Golden Sea” is selected for the United Nations’ “1994 Caring for Our Water Resources” calendar.

1996

  • Participated in the joint exhibition “Masters of Color Photography” at the invitation of the famous Lizan-Top Gallery on Long Island, New York.
  • Photographed important representative figures in Taiwan, including such individuals revered in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan as Daoist Master Yin Shun, Master Cheng Yen, elder Chinese photographer Lang Ching-shan, sculptor Yang Ying-feng, and Nobel Prize-winner Gao Xingjian.

1998

  • Participated in the International Exhibition of Photography and Related Visual Art held with great fanfare at the Chung Cheng Gallery in Taipei and the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts.

1999

  • Taiwan on My Mind – Retrospective Touring Exhibition of Si Chi Ko at the Age of 70.
  • Participated at invitation in the Taiwan Arts Festival and held a solo exhibition at the National Arts Club in New York City.

2000

  • Si Chi Ko’s work “The Presence of Venus” sold for the highest price among photographs at the first auction of photographic works held in Taiwan by the well-know international auction company Christie’s.
  • Held an invitational solo exhibition at the Walter Wickiser Gallery in New York’s Soho district.
  • Received the Fine Arts in Photography Award from the Wu San-Lien Awards Foundation.

2003

  • Hidden Mirror – Exhibition Si Chi Ko’s Portraits was held at the Taipei, Taichung, and Tainan Shin-Kong Mitsukoshi; this was the largest exhibition of portrait photography in Taiwan’s history.
  • The photographic exhibition Art of Baoan Temple was held at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum.
  • The work “In White” was used as the cover photograph in the prominent French art magazine Art Sud.

2004

  • The “Taiwan on My Mind” solo exhibition was held at the Overseas Chinese Culture Center, Houston, Texas.
  • Honored as an honorary citizen of the City of Houston. Texas on The basis of his photographic art achievements.

2005

  • France’s well-known Cercle d’art publishing company engaged photography critic Herve Le Goff to produce the photographic album “Ko Si Chi,” which highlighted Ko Si Chi’s artistic achievements.

2006

  • Received the 10th National Arts and Culture Award in the fine arts category.
  • The individual exhibition Accomplishment after 50 Years-Poetry of the Camera-Paintings in Photographs is held at the Capital Art Center in Taipei.
  • New Poems and Old Agreements-Classic Works of Si Chi Ko is Held at the Art & Collection Inspiration Zone, Taipei.
  • “Athletics of the Lens” photographic exhibition is held at the Academia Sinica.

2007

  • Si Chi Ko “views” Si Chi Ko – 50th Anniversary Photography Exhibition is held at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing; this was the first time that a photographer from Taiwan was invited to display works at the National Art Museum of China.

2008

  • “Si Chi Ko’s Fantastic World – Exhibition of Photographic Art” is held at the Tainan Shin-Kong Mitsukoshi.
  • Ko’s work “Presence of Venus” was sold the highest price among photographic items at the Ravenel Art Group’s fall auction, and set a new record for photographers from Taiwan.

2009

  • The College of Medicine at National Cheng Kung University uses a photograph – the representative work “The Presence of Venus” from its permanent collection – as public art for the first time.

2010

  • Ko’s new works and classics are displayed in Taipei’s Huashan 1914 Creative Park.
  • The Southern Gallery holds the Classic Masterwoks – Time Will not Wait for Me exhibition of Ko’s photographs.

2011

  • Hong Kong’s Elements Water Zone holds the “Wonderland” solo exhibition of Ko’s photographs.
  • The Taiwan Soka Association holds Homeland: Travelling Imagery Exhibition by Ko Si Chi.
  • Photographed Taiwan’s eighth national park: “Taijiang National Park.”
  • Took photographs in Australia for art project “Eden.”

2012

  • Tao Dance photograph exhibition is held at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Champaign-Urban areas, Illinois.
  • Si Chi Ko’s Fantastic Journey exhibition was held at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts. Si Chi Ko held his first solo exhibition since 1962 at the Kaohsiung Shin Wen Daily News Gallery. It’s no exaggeration to say that he took his first steps in photography in Kaohsiung, and now, 50 years later, he has chosen to return and hold a retrospective exhibition in Kaohsiung as a prominent international photographer. This event has great significance for Si Chi Ko and Kaohsiung.