In celebration of China’s National Day, as well as the 20th anniversary of Macau, master contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang recently visited the city to share the documentary of his life, Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang at MGM COTAI Theatre. During his visit, Cai also presented two of his iconic gunpowder artworks to the MGM Chairman’s Collection. The artworks – Entitled Alchemist and Study for Uffizi: A Bouquet of Flowers No.1 – mark a breakthrough in Cai’s use of gunpowder and will be on a permanent display at the property.
Known as the ‘master of gunpowder’ Cai Guo-Qiang, a native of Quanzhou city in Fujian province, has dazzled audiences worldwide with his artworks, spanning drawings, installations and dramatic performances that connect to society and nature. One of his most high-profile projects was Footprints of History for the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He is also one of five artists granted the first U.S. Department of State Medal of Arts for his outstanding commitment to international cultural exchange.
Directed by Oscar-winner Kevin Macdonald, the Netflix documentary Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang is based on Cai’s explosion event Sky Ladder in 2015. The film is a very honest and personal look back at the artist’s life and struggles, including growing up with his family during the Cultural Revolution in China, his relationship with his grandmother and father, and the inspirations which led him to become the world-famous contemporary artist he is today.
Sky Ladder was a project that involved a 500-metre tall ladder laden with pyrotechnics, that Cai dedicated to his 100-year-old grandmother. Before it finally came true in his hometown in 2015, Cai had experimented with the concept for more than 20 years, including his first attempt in England in 1994, which failed due to poor weather, followed by a second attempt in Shanghai in 2011, which was called off because of security concerns in the aftermath of 9/11, and then his last unsuccessful attempt in Los Angeles in 2012, cancelled because of the risk of fires.
When asked about his impression of the documentary, Cai says, “I am still deeply moved as an audience every time I watch the screening in different countries. I always want the director to be the first one to receive rounds of applause at the end of the screening as it is his documentary, but he always says to me that it is the story in the documentary that moves the audience.”
The 61-year-old artist still describes himself as “a young person who draws”. “The 500-metre Sky Ladder was designed to reach the immense clouds; it is pure and simple,” Cai says, adding that the artwork, which was part of his early Extra-terrestrial project since 1994, enabled him to find his childhood memories, mostly of his grandmother and father.
“My grandmother and my dad passed away when the documentary was in the editing process, so it has left my family and me a valuable legacy. My grandmother inspired me in one of the most significant themes of my previous artworks, that of ‘Unseen Power’, which I have been exploring.” Cai explains. “She used to believe in different energies or powers, like those from Buddhism and Christianity, and her beliefs have also kept me away from a lot of unsafe situations, because when you believe in ghosts and other unseen powers that include good and evil ones, then there is nothing to be frightened of.”
In the documentary, there is a particularly emotional scene in which Cai expresses his lingering sadness when recalling his childhood memories – his grandmother used to complain about his father spending most of his salary on books because his father thought they contained knowledge that could be passed on to future generations. During the Cultural Revolution, 9-year-old Cai and his father had to secretly burn all the books in their home bookstore for three whole days due to the strict prohibition on intellectual material at that time. This left an unwavering impact on his life, as well as a broader spatial and temporal awareness of China’s history.
“Childhood is paramount for artists. Especially when artists are too engrossed in their work along with their growing ambitions, it is easy to forget their curiosity for art. I was not brave when I was young. My grandmother used to exert control over the family and that led to my quest for ‘uncontrollable spirit’ throughout the years” Cai says. “Since then, I started experimenting with different materials in my art practices including gunpowder, firecrackers and fireworks.”
The explosive artist also expresses concerns about the emerging environmental dangers faced by the world. Cai reveals that his team have made improvements in producing non-toxic fireworks with less smoke by reducing the sulphur content and extracting the material from food and plant sources.
“If you say fireworks are environmentally-friendly then everyone must think it’s a lie, but they can become more environmentally-friendly with the endeavour of the artist,” Cai explains.
When asked his impressions of Macau, Cai jokes that he has established a connection with another unique “unseen power” in Macau while enjoying a few hours spent on the slot machines in the casinos!
“Rooster, Tiger, Sheep by Snakes”
Along with the documentary screening and presentation of new artworks, Cai Guo-Qiang’s daughter, Cai Wen-You also showcased an intimate and candid family album through her camera lens at MGM COTAI with her “Rooster, Tiger, Sheep by Snakes” – Wen-You Cai Photography Exhibition, which was named after the Chinese zodiac signs of her father, mother and younger sister.
“Throughout the filming process (of the documentary), there were many ways that the documentary could have been made and the final product has its own story, it’s a great story, but also just one of the many stories to tell,” Cai Wen-You explains. “My exhibition is also one of the ways to tell the story. One of the biggest curiosities in my life is my family, they’re very expressive and natural in front of my camera.”
“My younger sister and I look alike but we are very different in personality with a different set of challenges. I am not good at drawing, but she is; the reason why I take photos is because I can’t draw, and I like to capture moments and that’s how I express myself,” she says. “Interestingly though, my sister has always said she wants to be an artist, whereas I always said I didn’t want to be an artist.”
“I really enjoy the creative interaction with the audience when they give feedback after the experience,” she expresses. “I also hope to present what it is like for a Chinese family living abroad – a family that preserves a lot of traditional Chinese culture while being open-minded in a multi-cultural melting pot.”