Cai

CaiGuo-Qiang
Guo-Qiang

Biography
-

Cai Guo-Qiang is a 58 year old man (born in

1957)
Cai is the family name, or surname.
Cai Guo-Qiang was born in Quanzhou, Fujian,
China
He was originally a martial artist but became
interested in arts and went to school at the
Shanghai Theatre Academy.

Influences
Cai Guo-Qiang was born and lived in China for most
of his life. During his teenage years he witnessed the
Chinese Cultural revolution during 1966 and 1976.
During the cultural revolution, Cai Guo-Qiang took
part in parades and demonstration where there were
cannon blasts and gunfire.
China being the birthplace of fireworks, he was
heavily influenced by gunpowder
Cai Guo-Qiangs father was also an artist, who drew
landscapes on small matchboxes. He believes his
fathers work plays a significant factor in his own art.

Explosion Art
Cai Guo-Qiang makes drawings from
gunpowder. The process to make these
images are very long and tedious, and the
artist has a team to help him create these.
His team helps him lie out the enormous
strips of paper and prepare, but Cai Guo
Qiang is the only one who is involved with
laying out the gunpowder before the
gunpowder is ignited.

Explosion Art
Gunpowder has been prevalent in his life.
China is the birthmother of fireworks, and
during the revolution he took part in
parades and demonstrations, where there
had been cannon blasts and gunfire. He
witnessed gunpowder used in contrasted
ways.

2008 Olympics: Beijing, China

Cai Guo-Qiang became so wellskilled and well-known with
pyrotechnics, he gained wide spread
attention as the Visual and Special
Effects Director for the 2008
Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Inopportune: Stage 1

Inopportune: Stage 2

Installation Art
Stage 1 uses 8 cars and strobing LEDs to act out
an impossible scene. The car is launched into the
air, seemingly explodes, flips and lands in the very
same position it began in. This causes one to
wonder whether or not the action really took place
or not.

Entering the tiger room, you see the violent act- tigers
with arrows pierced into their bodies and theres a very
visceral response. The pain is not in the tigers, which
obviously cant feel. The pain is really in the person
whos viewing this. So its through the artwork,
because it represents pain.

Installation Art
The animals are not real, but because they appear lifelike the viewer may respond to them in a real way, often
times feeling sympathy or pain when an the animal is
depicted as harmed or injured.

This installation, titled Bon Voyage, is entirely made of

confiscated items that were viewed as possible weapons
at an airport, and was created to make a statement about
our view on terrorism after 9/11.

Criticism
While mostly well-received some of the
artists work has also gained some
negative feedback.
Some of the negative criticism that Cai
Guo Qiang has received includes his
aesthetic, political views and use of
pyrotechnics.

Legacy
Cai Guo-qiang has been a well-received
artist over the course of the years.
He has won many awards and has gained
widespread attention.
The artists has held and still holds many
exhibitions all over the world, including
Denmark, New York, London, and Taiwan.
He currently lives and works in New York.