Cai Guo-Qiang was born
in 1957 in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, China, and lives and
works in New York. He studied stage design at the Shanghai Drama
Institute from 1981 to 1985
and attended
the Institute for Contemporary Art: The National and International
Studio Program at P.S. 1, New York. His work is both scholarly
and politically charged. Accomplished in a variety of media, Cai
began using gunpowder in his work to foster spontaneity and confront
the controlled artistic tradition and social climate in China.
While living in Japan from 1986 to 1995 he explored the properties
of gunpowder in his drawings, leading to the development of his
signature explosion events. These projects, while poetic and ambitious
at their core, aim to establish an exchange between viewers and
the larger universe. For his work, Cai draws on a wide variety
of materials, symbols, narratives, and traditions—elements
of feng shui, Chinese medicine and philosophy, images of dragons
and tigers, roller coasters, computers, vending machines, and gunpowder.
Since September 11th he has reflected upon his use of explosives
both as metaphor and material. “Why is it important,” he
asks, “to make these violent explosions beautiful? Because
the artist, like an alchemist, has the ability to transform certain
energies, using poison against poison, using dirt and getting gold.” Cai
Guo-Qiang has received a number of awards including the 48th Venice
Biennale International Golden Lion Prize and the CalArts/Alpert
Award in the Arts. Among his many solo exhibitions and projects
are "Light Cycle: Explosion Project for Central
Park," New York;
"Ye Gong Hao Long: Explosion Project for Tate
Modern," London; "Transient
Rainbow," Museum of Modern Art, New York; "Cai
Guo-Qiang," Shanghai
Art Museum; and "APEC Cityscape Fireworks Show," Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation, Shanghai. His work has appeared in
group
exhibitions
including, among others, the São Paulo Bienale (2004); Whitney
Biennial (2000); and three Venice Biennales.
For additional biographic & bibliographic information:
Cai Guo-Qiang's Web Site |
