Bluerider ART Taipei presents Butterflies of Light at Breeze Center (Fuxing Hall). The exhibition features a solo presentation by Hans Kotter alongside a group exhibition of 10 international artists from 6 countries.

Light is one of art’s most ancient medium, and the most avant-garde contemporary language. The butterfly, in turn, is a symbol of transformation and freedom — from the stillness of the cocoon to the sudden burst of color at the moment of flight, its trajectory is never repeated, much like the singular creative paths of each artist. Taking this as its point of departure, Butterflies of Light centers on a solo exhibition by German light artist Hans Kotter, and brings together 11 international contemporary artists from 6 countries, with 55 works in total, weaving a polyphonic dialogue on light, color, material, and perception.

The soul of the exhibition, Hans Kotter (German, b. 1966), lives and works in Berlin. He is a recipient of the prestigious Bavarian Culture Award (E-ON Prize for Art and Architecture) and was nominated for the International Light Art Award by the Center for International Light Art Unna, Germany, in 2014. His works are held in major permanent collections including the TARGETTI Light Art Collection (Italy), the German Bundestag, and the Lithuanian National Museum, and he continues to exhibit at significant institutions worldwide — including the Ritter Museum (Germany), Kinetica Museum (London), and the MAKK Museum of Applied Arts Cologne. Drawing inspiration from Futurist Umberto Boccioni and Op Art master Victor Vasarely, Kotter employs LED, acrylic glass, stainless steel, neon, and prisms to transform the visible spectrum — as well as ultraviolet and invisible light — into a sculptural language that can be contemplated and perceived. Through flickering, flowing, rotating, and radiating light, he guides viewers with precision into a mesmerizing spiritual journey. As German art historian Kai-Uwe Hemken observes, Kotter’s work “reimagines the foundational utopia of modernism.” For Kotter, art and space become part of the creative process itself — an invitation for the viewer to step inside, and to experience pure joy in the interplay of light and shadow. This invitation is the very source of the spirit animating Butterflies of Light.

Orbiting Kotter’s luminous core, ten represented artists engage in a rich contemporary dialogue, each through their own distinct medium and vocabulary. German museum master Willi Siber crafts fluid sculptural surfaces from wood and metallic lacquer; Eberhard Ross distills the density of time within layered brushstrokes; Dirk Salz stacks resin to build pure orders of geometry and color; and Sven Drühl reconstructs the boundaries between image and memory through painting. Swiss artist Marck explores the playful tension between reality and illusion through video sculpture, while Thierry Feuz allows color to blossom across canvas like a cosmic garden. Spanish artist Josep Riera i Aragó writes a poetic narrative of life through imagery of ships and flying vessels; French artist François Bonnel captures the subtle glimmers of emotion through delicate brushwork. American artist Desire Obtain Cherish (Jonathan Paul) deconstructs the symbols of consumer culture through Pop and street sensibilities; and Canadian artist Janna Watson composes a free-spirited symphony of color through lyrical abstraction. These artists come from diverse cultural backgrounds and work across sculpture, painting, resin, metal, and image — yet they share a common core: a heightened sensitivity of perception.

Butterflies of Light offers not only a feast for the eyes, but an invitation to perceive. In an age of information overload and relentless pace, let us slow our steps, enter this garden of light carefully composed by the artists, and engage in dialogue — with the works, and with ourselves. Like the fleeting beat of a butterfly’s wings — brief, precise, yet luminous enough to light up an entire summer.

Participatipating artists:
Willi Siber (Germany)
Josep Riera i Aragó（Spain）
Eberhard Ross (Germany)
Dirk Salz (Germany)
Marck（Switzerland)
Hans Kotter （Germany)
Sven Drühl (Germany)
Thierry Feuz (Switzerland)
François Bonnel (France)
Desire Obtain Cherish (USA)
Janna Watson (Canada)