Hoo Fan Chon is a visual arts practitioner based in George Town, Penang. His research-driven projects are often set in local geographies and concern class aspiration, cultural identity, informal histories, and colonial legacy.
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✺ 2025 ✺ 2024 ✺ 2023 ✺ 2022 ✺ 2021 ✺ 2020 ✺ 2019 ✺ 2018 ✺ older works ✺ photography ✺ video ✺ painting ✺ sculpture ✺ installation ✺ writing ✺ george town ✺ archive ✺ fish ✺ durian ✺ badminton ✺
︎ email ︎ cv
✺ 2025 ✺ 2024 ✺ 2023 ✺ 2022 ✺ 2021 ✺ 2020 ✺ 2019 ✺ 2018 ✺ older works ✺ photography ✺ video ✺ painting ✺ sculpture ✺ installation ✺ writing ✺ george town ✺ archive ✺ fish ✺ durian ✺ badminton ✺
The Mythical Belacak & The Vanishing Mudskipper
Next Art Tainan 2025 –
隱身之海、增生之城Invisible Ocean, Growing City
2025 March, 醉美空間 Aglow Art Space (Tainan city, Taiwan)
Curated by Nobuo Takamori
Produced by The Cultural Affairs Bureau of Tainan City Government
List of works:
(2nd floor)
How To Dance Like A Mudskipper
Single channel full HD Mpeg-4 video, 8:38 min, 2022
Film excerpt from ‘Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup’ (1959)
Single channel Mpeg-4 video, 35:17 min
To Dream for One’s Country 42 x 59.4 cm, silkscreen print, acid-free 300gsm watercolour paper, 2019
Collection of mudskipper products
Dimension variable, massage oils, soup bars & instant coffee
Dunia Badol
Compilation of mudskipper-related video content by YouTuber Badol, single channel Mpeg-4 video, 34:48 min
(3rd floor)
The Vanishing Mudskipper
183 x 30.48 cm, polyester banner with embroidery work by 旺展繡莊
Audio recording of market interviews
Dimension variable, audio files, 40:58 min
Mudskipper-flavoured instant noodle concept photos
2 x A1 digital prints
Mudskipper-related contextual reference
Books
隱身之海、增生之城Invisible Ocean, Growing City
2025 March, 醉美空間 Aglow Art Space (Tainan city, Taiwan)
Curated by Nobuo Takamori
Produced by The Cultural Affairs Bureau of Tainan City Government
︎
List of works:
(2nd floor)
How To Dance Like A Mudskipper
Single channel full HD Mpeg-4 video, 8:38 min, 2022
Film excerpt from ‘Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup’ (1959)
Single channel Mpeg-4 video, 35:17 min
To Dream for One’s Country 42 x 59.4 cm, silkscreen print, acid-free 300gsm watercolour paper, 2019
Collection of mudskipper products
Dimension variable, massage oils, soup bars & instant coffee
Dunia Badol
Compilation of mudskipper-related video content by YouTuber Badol, single channel Mpeg-4 video, 34:48 min
(3rd floor)
The Vanishing Mudskipper
183 x 30.48 cm, polyester banner with embroidery work by 旺展繡莊
Audio recording of market interviews
Dimension variable, audio files, 40:58 min
Mudskipper-flavoured instant noodle concept photos
2 x A1 digital prints
Mudskipper-related contextual reference
Books
I participated in a 1-month residency to respond to the "隱身之海、增生之城 | Invisible Ocean, Growing City" exhibition – Next Art Tainan 2025, curated by Nobuo Takamori, in Taiwan, to expand on my artistic research on the intertidal fish – mudskipper. In my previous projects, I've re-envisioned a localised version of the municipal emblem of George Town with mudskipper (2019), speculated a set of callisthenics movements during Assembridge Nagoya (2022), and made a dance instruction video inspired by the mudskipper (2023).
During this residency, I explored the possibility of creating mudskipper-flavoured instant noodles as a food souvenir of Tainan, drawing inspiration from one of its classic delicacies – 花跳湯 (mudskipper soup), similar to how many Asian cities promote their culinary traditions. Despite numerous attempts to find mudskipper as a cooking ingredient in various fish markets in Tainan and inquiring at numerous restaurants about their availability, the fish has proven to be as elusive as its internet presence. This project highlights the disconnect between the existence of the Taiwanese mudskipper as a viral internet meme and the transition of food culture amongst the locals from a diverse range of game fishes to predominantly farmed fishes today.
The only mudskipper I found was printed on a banner, and the fish store owner, who was very generous with her knowledge of game fishes, kindly gifted the banner to me for use at the exhibition. I decided to embroider the mudskipper to commemorate its transformation from a once-popular local delicacy to a 'legendary' fish, whose taste can only be reminisced about by the old-timers.
The final exhibition featured artworks and contextual materials of mudskipper-related projects, installed on two floors of 醉美空間 Aglow Art Space (2nd floor: Malaysian mudskipper-related artworks and materials, 3rd floor: the outcome of Tainan residency research).
During this residency, I explored the possibility of creating mudskipper-flavoured instant noodles as a food souvenir of Tainan, drawing inspiration from one of its classic delicacies – 花跳湯 (mudskipper soup), similar to how many Asian cities promote their culinary traditions. Despite numerous attempts to find mudskipper as a cooking ingredient in various fish markets in Tainan and inquiring at numerous restaurants about their availability, the fish has proven to be as elusive as its internet presence. This project highlights the disconnect between the existence of the Taiwanese mudskipper as a viral internet meme and the transition of food culture amongst the locals from a diverse range of game fishes to predominantly farmed fishes today.
The only mudskipper I found was printed on a banner, and the fish store owner, who was very generous with her knowledge of game fishes, kindly gifted the banner to me for use at the exhibition. I decided to embroider the mudskipper to commemorate its transformation from a once-popular local delicacy to a 'legendary' fish, whose taste can only be reminisced about by the old-timers.
The final exhibition featured artworks and contextual materials of mudskipper-related projects, installed on two floors of 醉美空間 Aglow Art Space (2nd floor: Malaysian mudskipper-related artworks and materials, 3rd floor: the outcome of Tainan residency research).