Cai Guo-Qiang

Quick Facts

Full Name	Cai Guo-Qiang
Occupation	Painter
Date Of Birth	Dec 8, 1957(1957-12-08)
Age	67
Birthplace	Quanzhou
Country	People's Republic of China
Birth City	Quanzhou
Horoscope	Aquarius

Cai Guo-Qiang Biography

Cai Guo-Qiang is one of the most popular and richest Painter who was born on December 8, 1957 in Quanzhou, Quanzhou, People's Republic of China. Gunpowder on canvas, 300 x 1800 cm. Commissioned by Museo Nacional del Prado. Collection of the artist.

Cai Guo-Qiang (Chinese: 蔡国强 ; born 8 December 1957) is a Chinese artist who currently lives and works in New York City and New Jersey.

The installation, Primeval Fireball: The Project for Projects featured seven large scale gunpowder and ink on paper drawings that outlined hypothetical explosion projects. These gunpowder drawings are: Fetus Movement II: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 9 (1991), Rebuilding the Berlin Wall: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 7 (1991), Inverted Pyramid on the Moon: Project for Humankind No. 3 (1991), Reviving the Ancient Signal Towers: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 8 (1990), A Certain Lunar Eclipse: Project for Humankind No. 2 (1991), The Vague Border at the Edge of Time/Space Project (1991) and Bigfoot’s Footprints: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 6 (1990). Each project proposed vast ignitions that would form colossal monuments to transcend spatial or spiritual barriers. To date, only two of the explosion projects has been realized: Fetus Movement II: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 9 (1992) and Footprints of History: Fireworks Project for the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games (2008) was realized as part of the Beijing Olympics. Drawings on Pleats Please Garments for Issey Miyake Fashion Show, 1998.

First realized at p3 art and environment, Tokyo. Seven gunpowder drawings. Gunpowder on paper, mounted on wood as folding screens. These gunpowder drawings are, from left to the right, front to the back: Fetus Movement II: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 9 (1991), Rebuilding the Berlin Wall: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 7 (1991), Inverted Pyramid on the Moon: Project for Humankind No. 3 (1991), Reviving the Ancient Signal Towers: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 8 (1990), A Certain Lunar Eclipse: Project for Humankind No. 2 (1991), The Vague Border at the Edge of Time/Space Project (1991) and Bigfoot’s Footprints: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 6 (1990). Installation dimensions variable. Collection of the artist and various private and public collections

Cai Guo-Qiang was born in 1957 in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China. His father, Cai Ruiqin, was a calligrapher and traditional painter who worked in a bookstore. As a result, Cai Guo-Qiang was exposed early on to Western literature as well as traditional Chinese art forms. As an adolescent, Cai witnessed the social effects of the Cultural Revolution; he grew up in a setting where explosions were common, where “gunpowder [was] used in both good ways and bad, in destruction and reconstruction”.

Cai Guo-Qiang Net Worth

Cai Guo-Qiang is one of the richest Painter from People's Republic of China. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Cai Guo-Qiang 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

For his first participation in the 46th Venice Biennale, Cai piloted a Quanzhou fishing boat from Piazza San Marco down the Canale Grande to the pier of the Palazzo. The work commemorated the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s return to Venice from Quanzhou: “Marco Polo brought back to the West many new and rare things and interesting stories. But he did not bring back the important spirit, the Eastern view of the cosmos and of life. By using Chinese medicine as one of the symbols of this spirit, I will bring the things that Marco Polo could not.”

Dehua kiln (dated 1956) transported and reconstructed on site, 2.5 x 2.5 x 35 m. Commissioned by Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2000, Niigata Prefecture.

Cai began painting in the early 1970s; his work turned away from the calligraphic and ink wash disciplines practiced by his father and towards the Western practice of oil and watercolor painting. Cai studied Scenic Design at the Shanghai Theatre Academy between 1982 and 1985. During that same time, he began to experiment with adding gunpowder into his painting compositions “seeking to use the forces of nature to reduce my own control of the canvas.” After moving to Japan in 1986, Cai spent years honing his signature use of gunpowder. Cai’s first solo exhibition to gain significant global attention was Primeval Fireball (1991, P3 art and environment, Tokyo). For most audiences, it was an introduction to Cai’s medium and method; an encompassing presentation of his intermingling of installation art, gunpowder drawing and conceptual performance. The exhibition was Cai’s debut as a mature artist; the installation solidified his reputation as a “gunpowder artist” and laid out his conceptual focus for the next decade by kickstarting his decade-long series Projects for Extraterrestrials. Rather than literally, the term “Extraterrestrials” in this context is used as a challenge to adjust the vision of the world from a Ptolemaic fixation to an inclusive universal mentality – where humans are part of the cosmic landscape. The most notable works in this series include: 45.5 Meteorite Craters Made by Humans on Their 45.5 Hundred Million Year Old Planet: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 3 (1990), Fetus Movement II: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 9 (1992), The Horizon from the Pan-Pacific: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 14 (1994), Project to Extend the Great Wall of China by 10,000 Meters: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 10 (1993), Restrained Violence–Rainbow: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 25 (1995), Dragon Sight Sees Vienna: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 32 (1999).

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Cai Guo-Qiang height Not available right now. Cai weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Cai Guo-Qiang Dating?

According to our records, Cai Guo-Qiang married to Hong Hong Wu. As of December 1, 2023, Cai Guo-Qiang’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Cai Guo-Qiang. You may help us to build the dating records for Cai Guo-Qiang!

The artist moved from Beijing to New York in 1995, but as of 2017, continues to maintain a separate house in the former. In the mid-2010s, he made his gunpowder paintings in a Long Island fireworks factory. His Manhattan studio was renovated by Shohei Shigematsu and OMA. Guo-Qiang intends for it to eventually become a foundation with public viewing. He sought a property, unlike his prior studios, where he would both work and live with his family, fulfilling a goal to combine his personal and professional lives.

Facts & Trivia

Cai Ranked on the list of most popular Painter. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in People's Republic of China. Cai Guo-Qiang celebrates birthday on December 8 of every year.

In 1995, Cai was sponsored by a grant from the Asian Cultural Council to move to the United States, participate in a residency as part of the P.S.1 Studio Program. At P.S.1, he developed The Century with Mushroom Clouds: Project for the 20th Century (1996) and was short listed for The Hugo Boss Prize 1996 for his installation Cry Dragon/Cry Wolf: The Ark of Genghis Khan. He continued to exhibit internationally, participating in The Second and Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, at the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane (1996, 1999) and winning the Golden Lion at the 48th Venice Biennale in 1999 for Venice’s Rent Collection Courtyard.

Top Facts about Cai Guo-Qiang

1. Cai Guo-Qiang is a Chinese installation artist.
2. He was born in Quanzhou, China in 1957.
3. He studied stage design at the Shanghai Theater Academy.
4. Cai is known for his use of gunpowder as a medium.
5. He has had solo exhibitions at major museums worldwide.
6. In 2008, he directed the fireworks display for the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.
7. Cai won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Biennale in 1999.
8. His work often explores themes of cultural exchange and globalism.
9. Cai currently lives and works in New York City.
10. His installations have been featured in numerous films and documentaries.

What does Cai Guo-Qiang art mean?

In his ephemeral performances, gunpowder drawings, and arresting installations, Cai Guo-Qiang explores humanity’s place in the universe and our responsibilities on Earth. He draws us into his work with the visual language of explosion and the aesthetic of pain.

What makes Cai Guo-Qiang a significant contemporary artist?

Gunpowder Drawings Cai created a new mode of artistic expression by igniting gunpowder explosives on paper to play with the ideas of destruction and creation.

What is Cai Guo-Qiang trying to accomplish?

The Legacy of Cai Guo-Qiang While drawing inspiration from various spiritual and ancient sources he aims to create a bridge between the seen and the unseen worlds while simultaneously remaining invested in exposing contemporary political issues.

Why did Cai Guo-Qiang use gunpowder?

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.

What type of art does Cai Guo-Qiang do?

Contemporary art