Cai Guo-Qiang

It was only when I researched rainbow art installations that Cai Guo-Qiang as an artist really hit my consciousness.  I know now that I have seen his work before, who hasn't seen footage of the fireworks at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing?  So when I was looking on Netflix for something to watch and saw "Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang", I decided to watch it.

It was a fascinating insight.  A very human film with jaw-dropping glimpses into his life, intriguing art and awe inspiring fireworks.  

The only thing I didn't like was some of his art featuring animals,  The idea of a bunch of wolves dying for art just really does not appeal.  When I read up on it though, no wolves died.  They were carefully constructed from metal wire, hay, painted sheepskin and plasticine with marbles for eyes.  That changes everything for me.  Though it wouldn't surprise me if my initial discomfort was intentional as Cai has a environmental message to deliver.  That we are running in to disaster, we must work together and care where we are headed if we are to survive.  That's a message I can get behind.

I had seen footage of the awesome Sky Ladder before, but had no idea of his vision or that it was very much for his Grandmother.  He looked for a village like the one she came from to host it, but it had been demolished.  In the end, his Grandmother was too sick to travel and died a month after Sky Ladder took place.

There is a careful discomfort between the artist and their vision and those who commission works and their purpose.  The footage of the meeting of the preparation for the APEC fireworks was uncomfortable.  The edge of politics ran through the film with stories shared of the Cultural Revolution, which I know very little about.  The starkness of those glimpses into another time was...  so many things, but nothing was shared that didn't give a glimpse into Cai as a person and how this influences his art.  He came across as a man that was at peace with himself and his life and is inspired to create and try and improve the world around him in some way while also being driven to succeed and be the best he can be.

I had seen some of the art he has created by burning images on to paper by carefully placing materials and then setting them alight.  Once I saw the process of how this art is created, I fell in love with it.  He created a piece for Sky Ladder and seeing the ladder rising through the soot, it had a delicacy and grace, aiming for heaven.  His father was a calligrapher and it's clear the influence this has on these works.

His art has pushed the technology of pyrotechnics forward, for instance with the development of fireworks controlled by chips so the precise timing of the detonation can be controlled.  It's obvious that given any opportunity to make fireworks more environmentally friendly would be seized upon, it just generally is not a priority to the organisations providing funding.

It's definitely worth a watch, not just for the art, but for the stories.

I have a pinterest board of images of his art here.