QIANG

AND SOLITUDE
RESPLANDOR
GUO-
Y SOLEDAD
SUNSHINE
CAI

CAI GUO-QIANG
RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD SUNSHINE AND SOLITUDE
Este catlogo se publica con motivo de la exposicin Cai Guo-Qiang: Resplandor y Soledad /
This catalogue is published on the occasion of the exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang: Sunshine and Solitude

Ben Tufnell
Curador / Curator

Roco Mireles
Bruno Contreras
Diseo / Design

Ana Laura Cu Vega

Katnira Bello
Coordinacin editorial / Editorial Coordination

Jaime Soler
Correccin de textos / Proofreader

Pilar Villela
Traduccin / Translation

Diego Berruecos
Jorge Trujillo
Cai Canhuang, courtesy Cai Studio
Fotografa / Photography

D.R. 2011 de la edicin: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico

Museo Universitario Arte Contemporneo
Ciudad Universitaria, Delegacin Coyoacn,
C.P. 04510 Mxico, Distrito Federal
www.muac.unam.mx

ISBN

Prohibida la reproduccin total o parcial por cualquier medio, sin la autorizacin escrita del titular
de los derechos patrimoniales. / No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except where
permitted by the law, without the previous consent of the intellectual property rights holders and
the publishers.

Primera edicin / First Edition. Mxico, 2011.

18 de febrero de 2011
Impreso y hecho en Mxico / Printed and made in Mexico
CAI
GUO-
QIANG
RESPLANDOR
Y SOLEDAD
SUNSHINE
AND SOLITUDE
CADA DIBUJO ES EL PRINCIPIO DEL SIGUIENTE DIBUJO Cai Guo-Qiang 6 UNA VIDA COTIDIANA: CAI GUO-QIANG EN MEXICO Ben Tufnell 10 CAI GUO-QIANG, LA
ALQUIMA DE LO LOCAL Carlos Mondragn y Federico Navarrete 24 OBRA 36 CV CAI GUO-QIANG 38 LISTA DE OBRA 40 AGRADECIMIENTOS 42
EVERY DRAWING IS THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT DRAWING Cai Guo-Qiang 7 AN EVERYDAY LIFE: CAI GUO-QIANG IN MEXICO Ben Tufnell 11 CAI GUO-QIANG, THE
ALCHEMY OF THE LOCAL Carlos Mondragn and Federico Navarrete 25 WORK 36 CV CAI GUO-QIANG 39 WORK LIST 40 AKNOWLEDGEMENTS 42
CADA DIBUJO ES EL PRINCIPIO
DEL SIGUIENTE DIBUJO
Cuando era joven, nosotros fuimos los primeros en recibir la in-
fluencia de ese Realismo Socialista apoyado por Unin Sovitica.
Dado el clima poltico de la poca, era inevitable que el gobierno
chino tambin apoyara fervientemente el muralismo mexicano,
puesto que era un modelo que una a la gente en aras de la
causa revolucionaria y la independencia de la patria. El arte na-
cionalista de Diego Rivera, Jos Clemente Orozco y David Alfaro
Siqueiros reflejaba la vida del pueblo y la historia de su pas.
Para las mentes de los jvenes en China, incluyndome a m, era
muy conmovedor ver cmo estas amplias pinceladas apasiona-
das sobre inmensos murales le llevaban el arte a las masas y an
as lograban que ste tuviera un arraigo en tierras americanas.
Esta idea de incorporar la herencia indgena a las tradiciones
europeas a fin de que reflejaran el espritu de la poca fue una
gran inspiracin para nosotros. Quiz para nuestra fortuna, co-
nocimos otros movimientos importantes del arte moderno occi-
dental, tales como el Expresionismo y el Cubismo, a travs de
estos artistas y de la propaganda que producan.
De haberse conservado, es posible que la antigua capital
del Imperio Azteca, construida sobre el lago de Texcoco hubiese
sido la metrpolis ms bella del mundo. Hoy en da, un mar de
casas ha remplazado al agua. Este mar se expande como una
marea que va cubriendo las montaas que lo rodean. Cada vez
que veo la ciudad de Mxico desde el avin me sorprende la
velocidad con la que cambia este paisaje. A la vez, no puedo
evitar que el auge y la decadencia de las civilizaciones que han
existido ah abajo me produzcan un sentimiento de melancola.
Resplandor y soledad representa los sentimientos que me
produce Mxico desde que era adolescente. Sin duda, se trata de
una manera subjetiva de entender una cultura compleja por par-
te de una artista que habla desde tierras distantes. Al centro de
la sala de exhibicin hay un estanque hecho de grava volcnica y
lleno de nueve toneladas mtricas de Mezcal. El estanque tiene
la forma del lago de Texcoco, y se evapora y cambia constante-
mente. El intenso olor impregna la piel, intoxicando los sentidos
del pblico y expresando la pasin, la generosidad y la hospitali-
dad de la gente de Mxico. Sin embargo, tambin sugiere la so-
ledad espiritual y la ambigedad que representa el alcohol.
Las montaas funcionan como el vnculo elemental que hay
entre los catorce dibujos, al unirlos en torno a la sala. Las tres
diferentes alturas del techo de la sala me dieron una mayor liber-
tad a la hora de crear un dilogo ntimo con el espacio; creando
una unidad entre el entorno, los muros blancos y los dibujos. Al
usar el espacio vaco, es decir negativo, pude hacer que los di-
bujos flotaran. La unin de los dibujos con el espacio forman
el paisaje de la ciudad de Mxico tal y como se asienta en este
valle rodeado de montaas.
Resplandor y soledad es la produccin de dibujos de plvo-
ra ms grande que he hecho hasta la fecha. Para hacerlos nece-
sit siete das, realizando un promedio de dos dibujos terminados
por da, y us 33 hojas de papel (cada una de 3 4 metros),
adems de decenas de kilos de plvora. La plvora mexicana no
arda con facilidad, de hecho, la mayora de las explosiones eran
muy lentas, lo que haca que de vez en cuando hubiera estalli-
6
 EVERY DRAWING IS THE BEGINNING
OF THE NEXT DRAWING

In my youth, we were first exposed to the Socialist Realism championed by the Soviet Union. Under the political climate of the
time, it was inevitable that the Chinese government also fervently advocated Mexican muralism, as it was an artistic model that
brought people together for revolution and the pursuit of national independence. The patriotic art of Diego Rivera, Jos Clemente
Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros reflected the life of the people and the history of their nation. Young minds in China myself
included were deeply moved by their passionate broad strokes on immense murals as they took art to the masses, yet still
rooted it into the land of the Americas. We were very inspired by their pioneering spirit of incorporating native heritage with Euro-
pean painting traditions to bear the soul of their era. From these artists and the propaganda that they created, it is perhaps our
good fortune that we learned of many other prominent Western modern art movements and styles, such as Expressionism and
Cubism.
The ancient Aztec Empire capital, built on the Texcoco Lake, may have been the most beautiful metropolis in the world had it been
preserved. Nowadays a sea of houses has replaced the body of water, expanding like a rising tide that submerges the surrounding
mountains. Every time I peer down at Mexico City from the plane, I am always struck by the rapid changes in this scenery. At the same
time, I cant help but feel a sense of melancholy over the rise and fall of civilizations below.
Sunshine and Solitude represents my sentiments towards Mexico since my adolescence. It is admittedly a subjective understand-
ing of such a complex culture by an artist hailing from distant lands. A pond shaped like the Texcoco Lake formed with volcanic
gravel and filled with nine metric tons of Mezcal evaporates and changes constantly in the center of the gallery. The pungent smell
seeps through the skin, intoxicating the audience through multiple senses as it expresses the passion, generosity and hospitality of the
people in Mexico. Yet it also hints at the spiritual loneliness and ambiguity that the alcohol embodies.
Mountains serve as the elemental link of the fourteen drawings, tying them together as they circle the gallery. The three different
ceiling heights within the same gallery space enabled me to create an intimate dialogue with the space even more freely, merging the
space, the white walls and the drawings as one. Using the empty, negative space, I was able to float the drawings in the space.
Together the space and drawings form the landscape of Mexico City as it sits in the valley embraced by the mountains.
Sunshine and Solitude is my largest gunpowder drawing production to date. Spanning over seven days with an average of two
drawings completed per day, I came to use 33 sheets of paper (each measuring 34meters) and tens of kilograms of gunpowder.
The Mexican gunpowder did not easily ignite; in fact, the majority of the explosions burned gently, which caused a surprise burst every
so often. The heavy smoke from the blast would blind our sight yet awaken the senses with its primitive smell of sulfur. Working with
such gunpowder was akin to the process of learning the history, culture, nature and people of Mexico. The journey began with Spirits,

7
dos inesperados. La humareda que produca el estallido nos ce-
gaba, pero el intenso olor a azufre tambin despertaba nuestros
otros sentidos. Trabajar con esta plvora fue un proceso similar
al de aprender acerca de la historia y la cultura del pas, as
como conocer a la gente de Mxico. El viaje empez con Espri-
tus, un dibujo que representa a los ancestros de Mxico y termi-
n con mi autorretrato en Castillo, un dibujo que refleja mis
impresiones de un viaje al pequeo pueblo montaoso de Te-
mascaltepec, con sus aguas termales, para la celebracin del
Bicentenario de la Independencia de Mxico de Espaa.
Me gustara agradecer a los treinta voluntarios, todos ellos
estudiantes de arte de la ENAP de la UNAM, que me asistieron de
manera incansable con la produccin de los dibujos de plvora.
Trabajar con ellos me permiti viajar entre el pasado y el futuro,
como si estuviera perdido en el tiempo y en el espacio. El MUAC
tambin dio un paso muy valiente al ahogarse en alcohol, y
aqu debo mencionar que el alcohol no est permitido en Ciu-
dad Universitaria! Sobra decir que la directora, Graciela de la
Torre, y su equipo hicieron un gran esfuerzo para que esta
exposicin se llevara a cabo. Mis ms clidos agradecimientos
a Patricia Sloane, asesora en jefe del MUAC a Ben Tufnell, el
curador invitado, Claudia Barrn y Alejandra Labastida; sin su
cuidadosa planeacin y organizacin no habra llegado tan lejos
en este extrao viaje. Tambin agradezco al personal del Estudio
Cai, en especial a Mariluz Hoyos, la directora de proyectos, por
haber realizado este trabajo excepcional en circunstancias tan
diferentes que los llevaron a empujar tanto los lmites de la expo-
sicin, como los suyos propios. Por supuesto, esto no habra sido
posible sin los tcnicos de Lux Pirotecnia, ni sin el equipo de
musegrafos de Fortino Jimnez y Tiburcio Czares y, sin duda,
sin muchos otros a quienes tambin les expreso mi gratitud.
Alguna vez, el gran poeta mexicano Octavio Paz escribi
[] cada poema es el borrador de otro [] Aqu, cada dibujo
es el principio del siguiente, y este proyecto sentar las bases
del prximo
Cai Guo-Qiang
12. 8. 2010.
8
 a drawing that depicts the ancestors of Mexico, and ended with my self-portrait in Castillo, an impression of my travels to the small
mountainous hot spring town of Temascaltepec for the Bicentennial celebration of Mexicos independence from Spain.
I would like to thank the thirty volunteers, all students from the art department of the National Autonomous University of Mexico
(Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, UNAM), who tirelessly assisted with the production of the gunpowder drawings. Working
with them allowed me to travel between the past and the present as though I was lost in time and space. The University Museum of
Contemporary Art (Museo Universitario Arte Contemporneo, MUAC) also took an extraordinarily fearless step in steeping itself in
alcohol and I should note here that this is an alcohol-free campus! Needless to say, the Director, Ms. Graciela de la Torre, and her
staff put in tremendous effort in the realization of this exhibition. My warmest thanks go to Ms. Patricia Sloane, Senior Advisor to the
MUAC, guest curator Mr. Ben Tufnell, Claudia Barrn and Alejandra Labastida; without their careful planning and orchestration, I could
not have come thus far on this unusual journey. My staff at Cai Studio, especially Project Director Ms. Mariluz Hoyos, all did an excep-
tional job working under different circumstances to push the exhibition, as well as themselves, to the limits. Of course, this could not
have been possible without, the pyrotechnicians at Lux Pirotecnia, the Museums contractors team Fortino Jimnez and team Tiburcio
Czares, and surely many more to whom I would like to express my gratitude. The great Mexican poet, Octavio Paz once wrote, []
each poem is the draft of another [] And here, every drawing is the beginning of the next drawing, and this project will become the
foundation of the next

Cai Guo-Qiang
12. 8. 2010.

9
UNA VIDA COTIDIANA:
CAI GUO-QIANG EN MXICO
Mi punto de vista es el de un hombre comn y corriente que vive su vida cotidiana en el presente. Observo e investigo nuestro mun-
do caleidoscpico desde esta perspectiva. No busco echar sermones, ni dar consejos; lo que quiero es hacer que la gente piense,
hacer que vean lo que est pasando desde el punto de vista de la historia y de la vida.1
Esta declaracin de principios que Cai Guo-Qiang hizo cuando
apenas empezaba su carrera, en 1998, sigue siendo vlida para
su obra. Desde la dcada de 1980, sus exposiciones ofrecen a
los pblicos una plataforma desde la cual reflexionar acerca del
mundo. Al adoptar una posicin paradjica y puntos de vista
inesperados o poco comunes, la obra de Cai nos invita a repen-
sar o a evaluar de nuevo las ideas preconcebidas que tenemos
acerca de las cosas o a cuestionar ciertas construcciones que
podran parecernos definitivas.
Si bien las obras ms reconocidas de Cai son sus especta-
culares proyectos de explosin, el artista tambin usa tcnicas
tradicionales como la pintura al leo o las tintas y las aguadas;
as como otras estrategias ms cercanas a la escenografa. Asi-
mismo, ha producido instalaciones sumamente ambiciosas que
incluyen elementos tan diversos como coches, rplicas de tigres
y lobos a tamao natural, barcos, motores, lmparas de papel,
cangrejos vivos o baos de hierbas. En su obra, Cai Guo-Qiang
investiga nociones como la identidad, la comunidad, la historia y
la transformacin. Su trabajo es de una seriedad intensa, pero
tambin es seriamente ldico. Es frecuente que los materiales
que usa en sus instalaciones y esculturas pasen por procesos de
transformacin inesperados e incluso violentos. La obra de Cai
sugiere un mundo en transformacin, en el que tanto la materia
como la conciencia existen en un estado fluido y estn sujetas a
cambios debidos a la intuicin o la inspiracin. Estos cambios se
pueden dar a partir del consumo de fuego o de luz; o bien a
travs de la yuxtaposicin paradjica o potica de diferentes ma-
teriales e ideas que van desde la mitologa antigua y la historia
militar, hasta la especulacin alqumica, la cosmologa taosta,
las tcticas militares maostas, la tecnologa pirotcnica o la me-
dicina china. Todo es posible. El mundo es su taller.
La piedra negra. Retorcida, plegada, arrugada, atravesada por grie-
tas y bordes afilados, extraamente lquida en algunas partes. Sin
edad. Atemporal.
En la Ciudad Universitaria de la UNAM hay un conjunto es-
cultrico dentro de una reserva ecolgica. Una de las obras ms
extraordinarias de este conjunto es el Espacio Escultrico, un
crter creado en conjunto por Helen Escobedo, Manuel Felgu-
rez, Matas Goeritz, Hersa, Sebastin y Federico Silva en 1979.
1
 ai Guo-Qiang y You Jindong,
C
Painting with Gunpowder,
Se trata de una gran instalacin que funciona como una especie Leonardo 21, No.3, 1988,
de lente geolgico o esttico, que hace que nuestra atencin se pp.251-54
10
 AN EVERYDAY LIFE:
CAI GUO-QIANG IN MEXICO

My vantage point is that of a common man living an everyday life in the present era. From this point of view, I observe and explore
this kaleidoscopic world of ours. I do not seek to preach or to give advice; rather, I wish to make people think, to have them view cur-
rent matters from the perspective of history and meditate upon history and life.1

Cai Guo-Qiangs early statement of intent made in 1988, his stated desire to provoke reflection, still holds true. Since the 1980s his exhibi-
tions have given his audience platforms from which to reflect upon the world. Cais work, which adopts paradoxical positions and unusual
or unexpected perspectives, asks us to reconsider or reassess our received opinions or to question seemingly definitive constructions.
While Cai is perhaps best known for spectacular explosion events, he is an artist whose work incorporates traditional techniques
such as oil painting or ink-and-wash drawing and even strategies more readily associated with stage design. He has also created am-
bitious installations using cars, life-size replicas of wolves and tigers, boats, engines, paper lanterns, live crabs, or herbal baths. Cai
Guo-Qiangs work explores ideas about identity, community, history and transformation. It is both deadly serious and seriously playful.
In his installations and sculptures, materials are often subjected to unexpected and sometimes violent transformative processes. Cais
art suggests that the world is mutable, that both matter and consciousness exist in a state of flux, subject to intuitive and inspira-
tional change. Such change might be initiated by consuming fire or light, or by the paradoxical or poetic juxtaposition of different
materials and ideas: Ancient mythology, military history, alchemical speculation, Taoist cosmology, Maoist revolutionary tactics, Bud-
dhist philosophy, pyrotechnic technology, and Chinese medicine. Everything is possible. The world is a studio.

1
 ai Guo-Qiang with You Jindong,
C ment of landscape, a creased and folded flow of black lava. Looking in we see the geological processes and vast spans of time made manifest.
Painting with Gunpowder,
Leonardo 21, No.3, 1988,
pp.251-54
The black rock. Twisted, folded, rippled, run through with razor-sharp cracks and edges. Strangely liquid in places. Ageless. Timeless.
In a natural reserve inside University City- the UNAM s main campus in Mexico City- there is a large sculpture park. One of the most
extraordinary works there is the Espacio Escultrico, a collective work created by Helen Escobedo, Manuel Felgurez, Matas Goeritz, Hersa,
Sebastin and Federico Silva in 1979. It is a huge architectural installation which functions as a kind of geological and aesthetic lens, focus-
sing our attention on the primordial landscape of the site, locating within it a harsh beauty. A ring of huge concrete structures isolates a seg-
Looking out we are presented with a panorama of the city, the great bowl of the city, with the mountains and volcanoes as a backdrop in the
distance. The Espacio Escultrico both mimics the geography of the city, and articulates the processes that created the landscape. It is an

11
 centre en el paisaje primordial del sitio, poniendo de manifiesto
su tosca belleza. Un anillo de enormes estructuras de concreto
asla un segmento de paisaje, un flujo de lava negra lleno de plie-
gues y arrugas. Si vemos al interior de este anillo podemos apre-
ciar tanto los procesos geolgicos como los grandes periodos de
tiempo que estos toman; y al ver al exterior contemplamos el pai-
saje de la ciudad, el gran valle de Mxico con las montaas y los
volcanes a la distancia como fondo. El Espacio Escultrico refleja
la geografa de la ciudad y articula los procesos que crearon el
paisaje. Se trata de una obra extraordinaria que merecera ser
ms conocida. Sin duda, esta obra fue una influencia importante
para la obra que Cai Guo-Qiang realiz en el MUAC.
El Espacio Escultrico est rodeado de una especie de jar-
dn: un enredijo salvaje de pastos, rboles y flores. Esta vegeta-
cin presenta una mezcla de colores vivos: rosas, morados,
amarillos, rojos y verdes intensos. El da que estuvimos ah el sol
brillaba y el aire estaba lleno de semillas que atrapaban la luz
como si fueran fumarolas y nubes de vapor.
Esta muestra en el MUAC es la primera exposicin individual de
Cai en Amrica Latina. Sin embargo, no es la primera vez que el
artista expone en Mxico. Cai ya haba visitado esta ciudad en
1996, cuando expuso la obra Grita dragn/grita lobo: el arca de
Gengis Kan (1996) simultneamente en el Museo Rufino Tamayo
y en el Guggenheim Soho de Nueva York. Esa obra, era un dra-
gn hecho de una balsa de madera y pieles de oveja que se
mova gracias a tres motores de coche, haca referencia a la ex-
pansin econmica asitica por medio de un hbil tejido de refe-
rencias tanto a la historia como a la cultura contempornea. Esta
pieza, que estuvo en la exposicin de las obras seleccionadas
para el Primer Premio de Arte Hugo Boss en el Guggenheim
SoHo de Nueva York, sigue siendo una obra emblemtica en la
trayectoria de Cai y fue una de las primeras piezas que dio a co-
nocer al artista en el mundo occidental. El proyecto que Cai pre-
senta en esta ocasin en el MUAC tambin vincula la historia, los
mitos y las tradiciones con elementos contemporneos, funcio-
nando como una reflexin en torno al presente y el pasado de
Mxico.
En septiembre del 2010, durante el Bicentenario de la Inde-
pendencia, el artista regres a Mxico para llevar a cabo su in-
vestigacin para la exposicin en el MUAC. En ese viaje el artista
visit el museo, el Espacio Escultrico y otros lugares dentro de
Ciudad Universitaria. Tambin cruz las montaas para ir a Te-
mascaltepec, un pequeo pueblo en el que las celebraciones de
la independencia incluyen un gran espectculo de fuegos artifi-
ciales. Las experiencias de Cai durante esa visita, sumadas a
una extensa investigacin acerca de Mxico, le dieron forma a
una nueva obra, sumamente ambiciosa, concebida especfica-
mente para los amplios espacios de exhibicin del MUAC en la
que el artista entreteje lo personal con lo arquetpico.
II
El camino de la ciudad de Mxico a Temascaltepec pasa por el
Nevado de Toluca, con sus curvas cerradas y giros dramticos
cruza las escarpadas laderas de la montaa. En el camino que
cruza las montaas hay puestos de comida enclavados en la pro-
fundidad de los tupidos bosques. Cada tanto aparecen letreros
clavados a los rboles que anuncian la venta de truchas de mon-
taa. Paramos en uno de estos lugares, un pequeo restaurante
sobre una pradera empinada que tena al frente un tanque de
agua corriente en el que las truchas nadaban en crculos. Mien-
tras almorzbamos una sopa picante de hongos y quesadillas em-
pez a llover. Desde la montaa, vimos como el valle se cubra de
nubes que cubran las cimas y los barrancos, creando una escena
que recordaba a los paisajes de los pintores letrados chinos, una
aguada etrea que se aclara y se desdibuja sucesivamente.
La presencia de Resplandor y soledad se siente an antes de
entrar a la sala de exhibicin en la que se encuentra. La atms-
12
13
14
 extraordinary work and one that should surely be more widely known. For Cai Guo-Qiang the crater was undoubtedly an important influence
on his work at MUAC.
Around the crater is a garden of sorts, an untended tangle of grasses, trees, cacti, and flowers. Vivid colours; pinks, purples, yellows,
reds. Intense greens. On the day we were there the sun was bright and a profusion of seeds heads that looked like whisps and billows of va-
pour caught the light.

The exhibition at the MUAC is Cais first solo presentation in Latin America. Yet it is not the first time he has exhibited in Mexico. He
first visited in 1996, when he exhibited the major work Cry Dragon/Cry Wolf: The Ark of Genghis Khan (1996) simultaneously at the
Museo Rufino Tamayo and the Guggenheim Soho in New York. That work, which consisted of a dragon made up of a raft of wood and
sheepskins, powered by three running automobile engines, powerfully addressed ideas of Asian economic expansion, skilfully weaving
together references to history with contemporary culture. It remains an emblematic work within Cais oeuvre and, included in the ex-
hibition of artists shortlisted for the inaugural Hugo Boss Art Prize at the Guggenheim SoHo in New York, was one of the first works
that brought him to wide attention in the west. At the MUAC Cais project also brings together ideas of history, myth and tradition with
contemporary elements, as a meditation upon Mexico past and present.
In September 2010 at the time of the Bicentenary the artist returned to Mexico to carry out research. During that visit, as well as
a site visit to the museum, the UNAM campus and the Espacio Escultural, he made a trip through the mountains to Temascaltepec, a
small town where the Independence Day celebrations include traditional firework displays. Cais experiences during that visit, to-
gether with his extensive research, directly informed the development of an ambitious new work conceived specifically for the expan-
sive exhibition spaces at the MUAC - a weaving together of the personal and the archetypal.

II

The road from Mexico City to Temascaltepec crosses the flanks of Volcan Nevado de Toluca, navigating the steep sides of the mountain in a
series of dramatic twists and switchbacks. A number of little taverns are dotted along the road through the mountains, deep in the thick forest.
Signs nailed to trees advertise mountain trout for sale. We stopped at one of these places, a little restaurant above a steep meadow, with a
tank of running water at the front in which the trout were swimming in circles. As we ate a lunch of hot mushroom soup and empanadas it
started to rain. We watched as the valley below us filled with clouds which billowed around the cliffs and peaks and made a scene reminiscent
of a Chinese literati painting, an ethereal landscape of ink and wash, drifting in and out of focus.

Before we even enter the exhibition space that houses Sunshine and Solitude we are aware of it. The atmosphere of the museum is
infused with the sweet and distinctive scent of mescal, evocative and suggestive.
Sunshine and Solitude presents a panoramic landscape. Highly theatrical and self-consciously artificial, it is a symbolic rendering
of Mexico that reaches back to the nations foundation myths, references the geological conditions that allowed Mexico City to be es-
tablished in its present location, but also engages with contemporary Mexico. It makes no claim to veracity. Indeed the overt theatrical-
ity of Cais presentation the sense of a staged spectacle - is crucial to the effect he is trying to achieve. This is not a representation

15
fera del museo est permeada por el dulce aroma del mezcal, un
olor que evoca y sugiere.
Resplandor y soledad presenta un paisaje panormico. Se
trata de una instalacin sumamente teatral y consciente de su
propia artificialidad en la que el artista lleva a cabo una repre-
sentacin simblica de Mxico. As, la obra toma en cuenta tan-
to al Mxico contemporneo, como a los mitos fundacionales
de la nacin y las condiciones geolgicas que permitieron que
la ciudad capital se asentara en el territorio que ocupa actual-
mente. La pieza no pretende ser veraz. De hecho, lo explcita-
mente teatral de la obra de Cai en el sentido de que se trata de
una puesta en escena es crucial para el efecto que est inten-
tando lograr. La pieza no es una representacin de la realidad
cotidiana de Mxico sino, ms bien, como dice el artista, es una
evocacin del Mxico que existe en su imaginacin y, por lo
tanto, se trata de una construccin compleja hecha a partir de
mitos y recuerdos, de lugares y cosas observadas, de aconte
cimientos ledos en textos. Esta combinacin libre de lo real
con lo imaginario le da a la instalacin una cualidad onrica y
ultraterrena.
Cai ha construido un paisaje de lava negra con un lago de
mezcal al centro. ste ltimo tiene una forma parecida a la del
Lago de Texcoco- que alguna vez ocup el valle donde ahora se
encuentra la ciudad de Mxico- pero tambin llena el espacio de
exhibicin con el aroma del alcohol y lo que este evoca, creando
un entorno sumamente sensual. El lago est rodeado por una
larga serie de los dibujos en plvora caractersticos de la obra de
Cai. Estos representan paisajes mexicanos, as como a la flora y
fauna locales: pinos, cactus y guilas. Hay otros dibujos en los
que aparecen las almas de los muertos, un desfile de hroes
revolucionarios, una vista de la ciudad de Mxico como un mar
de casas, los castillos pirotcnicos de Temascaltepec para las
fiestas de la independencia a las que asisti Cai y Quetzalcatl,
la serpiente emplumada. Un silencioso autorretrato lo observa
todo. Un enorme sol negro se cierne sobre el paisaje.
Esta es una representacin mtica y arquetpica de Mxico.
En su corazn est el mezcal. En este entorno cuidadosamente
escenificado resuena como una invocacin espiritual. Tambin
funciona como un smbolo conmovedor del Mxico contempor-
neo en donde el abuso del alcohol es un problema social impor-
tante.2 El alcohol es tanto el aglutinante que une a la gente,
como el solvente que deshace los lazos sociales. Es, a la vez, un
agente que promueve la convivencia y la hospitalidad, como el
heraldo de la soledad. Facilita la comunicacin y al mismo tiem-
po la entorpece. En la imaginacin popular, los estados parad-
jicos de la socializacin y la soledad estn asociados muy de
cerca con el carcter del mexicano.3 As, para Cai, el mescal se 2
 e calcula que hay 9 milliones de
S
convierte en un smbolo muy poderoso de la sociedad mexicana alcohlicos en Mxico y que 49%
contempornea. Por supuesto, esta interpretacin social de los de los suicidios y 38% de los
materiales elegidos por Cai es tan slo una entre muchas lectu- homicidios estn relacionados con
el alcohol. En la ciudad de Mxico
ras posibles. Una de las cualidades caractersticas de la obra de la situacin es an ms grave,
Cai es que es abierta, y le da entrada a muchas posibilidades y pues se considera que 64% de los
alternativas de interpretacin. homicidios estn relacionados con
el alcohol.
Sin embargo, el uso de materiales especficos es importante.
La instalacin sugiere una relacin potica entre el uso que hace 3
Ver El laberinto de la soledad, el
el artista del fuego como creador de imgenes y los procesos influyente ensayo de Octavio Paz
acerca de este tema (1961). Paz
geolgicos explosivos que le han dado su forma al paisaje mexi- escribe: En todos lados el hombre
cano, simbolizados por la piedra volcnica negra del lugar. Al est solo. Pero la soledad del
igual que el alcohol, la plvora funciona como un smbolo muy mexicano, bajo la gran noche de
piedra de la Altiplanicie, poblada
cargado. Inventada en china, la plvora primero se us en medi- todava de dioses insaciables, es
cina y en tanto que smbolo cultural representa la dicotoma que diversa a la del norteamericano,
hay entre la curacin y la destruccin. Al usarla para llevar a cabo extraviado en un mundo abstracto
de mquinas, conciudadanos y
grandes espectculos y tambin para crear imgenes poticas preceptos morales. En el Valle de
sobre papel, la plvora se convierte en el medio emblemtico de Mxico el hombre se siente
un artista que, con su obra, busca lograr reconciliaciones sor- suspendido entre el cielo y la tierra
y oscila entre poderes y fuerzas
prendentes y facilitar el conocimiento propio. Tal y como Cai ha contrarias, ojos petrificados, bocas
dicho, con sus pinturas y dibujos espera lograr llegar a constituir que devoran. Octavio Paz, El
una unidad en que integre la obra, la persona y la naturaleza, Laberinto de la Soledad, Mxico,
FCE, Tercera Edicin 1972,
uniendo as la humanidad, la historia y la naturaleza. Esta uni- Decimoquinta reimpresin 1986,
dad se logra en el momento en el que se incendia la plvora, p.18
16

2
It is estimated that there are
9million alcoholics in Mexico and
that 49% of suicides and 38% of
homicides are alcohol-related; in
Mexico City the situation is even
more serious with 64% of
homicides estimated to be related
to alcohol.
3
 ee Octavio Pazs seminal essay on
S quiet self-portrait observes everything. Above the landscape hangs an immense black sun.
this subject, The Labyrinth of
Solitude (1961). Paz writes Man
is alone everywhere. But the
solitude of the Mexican, under the
great stone night of the high
plateau that is still inhabited by
insatiable gods, is very different to
that of the North American, who
wanders in an abstract world of
machines, fellow citizens and
moral precepts. In the valley of
Mexico man feels himself
suspended between heaven and
earth, and he oscillates between
contrary powers and forces, and
petrified eyes and devouring
mouths. Octavio Paz, The
Labyrinth of Solitude, London
1961; revised edition 1985,
pp.19-20
4
 s Alexandra Munroe has written
A their creation, an alchemical transformation of time and matter, a powerful fusion of idea and material. To make them the artist lays
of Cais large-scale events: As
spectacles of primal power, the
explosion events produce an
experience of temporal dislocation,
a momentary trance when we feel
ourselves to be at the beginning
and end of life on earth. In the
gunpowder drawings the trace
becomes a permanent reminder of
this powerful moment of
transformation.
17
of a quotidian Mexico reality but rather, as the artist says, it evokes the Mexico that exists in his imagination; hence we enter a complex
construction of myth and memories, places and things witnessed, events read about. This free combination of the real and the
imaginary gives the installation the otherworldly quality of a dream.
Cai has constructed a landscape of black lava rock with a lake of mescal at its centre. This takes the approximate shape of Tex-
coco Lake, which once filled the valley the city now occupies, but also fills the exhibition space with the evocative aroma of alcohol
and creates a powerfully sensual environment. Around the lake is arranged an extensive sequence of Cais characteristic gunpowder
drawings depicting Mexican landscapes as well as flora and fauna such as pine trees, cacti and eagles. Also represented are the souls
of the dead, a parade of revolutionary heroes, a view of Mexico City as a sea of houses, the firework castillos constructed at Temas-
caltepec for the Independence Day celebrations that Cai observed, and a representation of the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl. A
This is a mythic and archetypal representation of Mexico. At its heart is mescal. Within this highly staged setting it has the resonance
of a spiritual invocation. It also serves as a poignant symbol of contemporary Mexico, where alcohol abuse is a serious social issue.2 Al-
cohol is both the glue that binds people together and the solvent that dissolves social bonds. It is at once the agent of conviviality and
hospitality and the harbinger of solitude. It both enables communication and disables it too. The paradoxical conditions of communality
and solitude are both powerfully associated in the popular imagination with the Mexican character.3 Thus for Cai, mescal can be a power-
ful symbol of the condition of contemporary Mexican society. Such a social interpretation of Cais chosen materials is of course just one
of many possible readings. It is a characteristic quality of Cais work that it is open, permeable to possibilities and alternatives.
Nonetheless, the specific materials used are important. The installation suggests a poetic connection between the artists use of fire
to create images and the explosive geological processes that shaped the Mexican landscape, symbolised by the locally sourced black
volcanic rocks. If an unconventional art material gunpowder is, like alcohol, a loaded symbol. Invented in China, initially for medicinal
purposes, gunpowder serves as a powerful cultural symbol whilst also signifying a dichotomy between healing and destructive tenden-
cies. Used for both spectacular events and for creating poetic images on paper, it becomes an emblematic medium for an artist who
seeks, in his work, to effect surprising reconciliations and to facilitate self-knowledge. As Cai has stated, he hopes to achieve, in his paint-
ings and drawings, a oneness of work, self and nature as well as a fusion of humanity, history and nature... This unity is achieved in the
moment of ignition, the flare of light and heat a moment of creation as well as destruction when time collapses into the present.4
The gunpowder drawings are more than simple depictions, more than just images, instead suggesting, through the process of
different types of gunpowder, fuses and templates, on to sheets of handmade paper. The fuses are then ignited to produce a series of
controlled explosions, burning, scorching and charring the surface of the paper, and fixing the motif. In this process the preparations
are painstaking and time consuming but the final creative act takes only take a few seconds. With great technical skill Cai is able to
exercise a degree of control over the ways in which the explosions will mark the paper, creating extraordinary effects reminiscent of
ink washes and fine brushstrokes. In Mexico he worked with locally sourced gunpowder, fuses and fireworks (including the firecrack-
ers beloved of children at fiestas).
For the final stage of the development of the exhibition and the creation of the actual drawings for the installation Cai enlisted the
help of volunteers from the student body at UNAM. Members of the public were invited to observe. For Cai the development of a major
cuando la llamarada de luz y calor- en el instante de la creacin
y la destruccin hace que el tiempo se colapse en el presente.4
Los dibujos de plvora no son solo imgenes o simples re-
presentaciones; si no que por medio del proceso de su creacin
sugieren una transformacin alqumica del tiempo y la materia,
una poderosa fusin entre la idea y el material. Para hacerlas el
artista usa distintos tipos de plvora, mechas y plantillas que
coloca sobre pliegos de papel hecho a mano. Entonces, encien-
de las mechas para producir una serie de explosiones controla-
das, que queman, calcinan y abrasan la superficie del papel,
fijando el motivo. La preparacin de este proceso es muy meti-
culosa y toma mucho tiempo, pero el acto creativo final slo
lleva unos cuantos segundos. Debido a su gran habilidad tcni-
ca, Cai es capaz de ejercer un gran control sobre la manera en
la que las explosiones marcarn el papel, creando as efectos
extraordinarios que recuerdan a una aguada o a finas pinceladas
de tinta. En Mxico trabaj con plvora, cohetes y mechas loca-
les (incluyendo los cohetes que los nios usan en las fiestas).
Para la ltima etapa del desarrollo de la exposicin y la crea-
cin de los dibujos que acompaan a la instalacin Cai se sirvi
de un grupo de estudiantes de la UNAM que trabajaron como
voluntarios y se invit a miembros del pblico a que presencia-
ran el proceso. Para Cai, el desarrollo de una instalacin tan
importante como Resplandor y soledad es un proceso de colabo-
racin que empieza cuando establece un dilogo con sus cole-
gas del taller y el museo y contina con una visita en la que lleva
a cabo una investigacin acerca del lugar. Para l es crucial, que
la realizacin de los dibujos de plvora que realiza a continua-
cin tambin se de como una colaboracin prctica. Esta dimen-
sin social de la obra es de vital importancia para el artista.
III
Ya habamos hablado de la posibilidad de llevar a cabo un evento
durante la inauguracin de la muestra. En lugar de hacer una de
sus caractersticas explosiones, Cai quera llenar el espejo de agua
que est frente al edificio de la Rectora de la UNAM con mezcal y
prenderle fuego durante una sesin privada. El espejo de agua
mide 80 metros de largo por 24 de ancho y las llamas ardiendo
sobre una superficie tan grande hubieran presentado un espect-
culo irresistible y sumamente bello. Desafortunadamente, esto no
se pudo llevar a cabo por diversas razones prcticas.
Esa noche, en el restaurante, Cai verti un poco de mezcal
sobre un pedazo de pizarra negra y lo encendi. Ardi lentamente,
con una llama azul y etrea que se mova sensualmente. Fue un
recordatorio de lo que podra haber sido este gran fuego, algo me-
ditativo, silencioso, misterioso. Imagin una multitud de figuras
silenciosas sentadas al borde de la fuente mientras vean las lla-
mas azules y minerales fijamente a medida que caa la oscuridad.
Si bien es cierto que Cai ya ha realizado este tipo de instalaciones
con dibujos de plvora desde hace tiempo, podemos considerar
que la obra que realiz en Mxico es parte de una nueva etapa de
su produccin en la que el artista investiga ideas relacionadas
con la pintura de paisaje tradicional. De hecho, Cai lleva muchos
aos haciendo grandes dibujos panormicos de formato apaisa-
do - como si se tratara de un rollo-. Entre ellos se encuentran
Extensin (1994) que es un biombo formado por doce paneles.
Esta obra mide ms de quince metros de ancho y actualmente se
encuentra en el Museo de Arte de Setagaya en Tokio. Sin embar- 4
 al y como Alexandra Munroe ha
T
go, l considera que la primera obra de esta nueva etapa es Di- escrito acerca de los eventos
bujo para las huellas de la historia, (2008); una pieza que el masivos de Cai: Como
espectculos de un poder
artista realiz para su retrospectiva en Beijing y que est relacio- primigenio, las explosiones
nada con los espectaculares juegos pirotcnicos de la inaugura- producen una experiencia de una
cin de las Olimpiadas de Beijing. En cuanto a su forma y dislocacin temporal, un trance
momentneo en el que nos
presentacin, y a pesar de que presenta fragmentos de imgenes sentimos al principio y al final de
en vez de un solo paisaje, Resplandor y soledad est ms relacio- la vida en la tierra. En los dibujos
nada con la gran instalacin que realiz en ese mismo ao en el de plvora el rastro se convierte
en un recordatorio permanente de
Museo de Arte de Hiroshima, donde tambin mezclaba un paisa- este poderoso momento de
je con un espejo de agua. Dicha pieza, que lleva por ttulo, Natu- transformacin.
18
19
20
 installation like Sunshine and Solitude is a collaborative process, beginning with a discursive exploration with colleagues at studio and
museum, followed by site visit and research, and then crucially a practical collaboration in the creation of the gunpowder drawings.
This social dimension is vital to the artist.

III

We had discussed the possibility that Cai would make an event to mark the opening of the exhibition. Rather than one of his characteristic
explosions, Cai proposed to fill the empty reflecting pool across the Rectorys Building at the core of University City with mescal and to ignite
it during the private view. The pool is 80 metres long and 24 metres wide and the flames flickering across such a large area would have pre-
sented a beautiful and compelling spectacle. Sadly, for a number of reasons it was to prove impractical to realise.
That night, at the restaurant, Cai poured some mescal onto a piece of black slate and lit it. It burned slowly with an ethereal blue flame,
wavering sensuously. It was a reminder of what the large-scale fire might have been; meditative, quiet, sensual, mysterious. I imagined a
crowd of silent figures sitting at the edge of the pool staring into the into the mineral blue flames as the darkness fell.

While Cai has been constructing ambitious installations involving gunpowder drawings for some time, this new Mexican work can be
seen as part of a recent development within his practice which explores ideas derived from traditional landscape painting. Cai has
made panoramic drawings which use an extended format derived from the scroll on a very large scale for many years. See, for
example Extension (1994), a twelve-panel folding screen over fifteen metres wide, now in the Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo. However,
he cites the first work of this recent phase as the monumental Drawing for Footprints of History (2008) - created for his retrospective
in Beijing and related to the spectacular fireworks at the opening of the Beijing Olympics. In form and presentation the installation
Sunshine and Solitude, despite its use of fragmented imagery rather than a single panorama, is perhaps more closely connected to
the major landscape installation created for his exhibition at the Hiroshima Art Museum later that year, which also combines a drawn
landscape with a reflecting pool. For that exhibition he created a forty-five-metre long landscape drawing entitled Unmanned Nature
(2008), executed in gunpowder on paper. It depicts a Chinese mountain range and a huge sun and the scorches, burn marks and
gunpowder residue in the image uncannily mimic the ethereal effects conjured with ink and brush by Chinese literati painters. Dis-
played on a curving wall the panoramic landscape is reflected in a pool of water in front of it and thus becomes an immersive and
sublime environment. The work represents a direct engagement with the tradition of Chinese landscape painting and in particular a
famous ink and wash painting, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains by Huang Kung-Wang, executed in the 14th century and now in the
National Palace Museum in Taipei.
Drawing for Footprints of History and Unmanned Nature marked the beginning of a sequence of monumental drawings including
Taroko Gorge (2009) and Day and Night (2009) which the artist has described as explorations of the spirit of literati painting. Despite
his reputation as an avant-garde provocateur Cai has always been keenly aware of the importance of tradition (and has often said that he
regards himself primarily as a painter, and that painting is still central to his conception of what it means to be an artist). This conscious
re-engagement with traditional forms and subject matter was perhaps partly inspired by the process of self-examination - a reviewing of
his own past achievements - required in the organisation of his recent mid-career retrospectives in New York, Bilbao, Beijing and Taipei.

21
raleza sin hombres (2008); consiste en un paisaje de plvora
sobre papel de 45 metros de largo que representa una cordillera
china bajo un gran sol. De manera sorprendente, las quemadu-
ras y los residuos de plvora de la imagen imitan los efectos et-
reos que los pintores letrados chinos conjuraban por medio de la
tinta y el pincel. El dibujo montado sobre una pared curva se re-
fleja sobre el espejo de agua que tiene al frente, convirtindolo en
un entorno envolvente y sublime. Se trata de una obra que remite
directamente a la tradicin de la pintura de paisaje en China y, en
particular, a La vida en las montaas de Fuchun de Huang Kung-
Wang una aguada clebre del Siglo XIV, que actualmente se en-
cuentra en el Museo del Palacio Nacional en Taipei.
Tanto Dibujo para la huellas de la historia como Naturaleza
sin hombres marcaron el inicio de una secuencia de dibujos mo-
numentales - entre los que tambin se cuentan Can de Taroko
(2009) y Da y noche (2009) - que el artista ha descrito como
una investigacin acerca del espritu de la pintura letrada. A pe-
sar de su reputacin como un artista de vanguardia, que lleva a
cabo una obra sumamente provocativa, Cai siempre ha estado
muy consciente de la importancia de la tradicin (y muchas ve-
ces ha dicho que se considera, sobre todo, un pintor y que la
pintura sigue ocupando un lugar central en su concepto de lo
que quiere decir ser un artista). Es posible que, en parte, este
regreso consciente a los temas y las formas tradicionales haya
estado inspirado en el proceso de introspeccin que el artista
llev a cabo a raz de sus recientes retrospectivas de media ca-
rrera en Nueva York, Bilbao, Beijing y Taipei.
A principios del ao pasado, Cai realiz Viajes por el Medi-
terrneo (2010), un proyecto importante que se present en el
Musee dArt Moderne et dArt Contemporain ( MAMAC) de Niza.
Tal y como en el caso de Naturaleza sin hombres la obra incluye
un dibujo de plvora panormico de gran escala reflejado en un
espejo de agua, pero en esa ocasin Cai utiliz aceite de oliva en
vez de agua. Al usar mezcal para crear un espejo que tambin
funciona como el punto focal de la instalacin, Resplandor y so-
ledad le da continuidad a esta serie de obras en las que paisajes
especficos se suman al uso de materiales locales sumamente
evocadores que enriquecen la particularidad de la obra.
IV
En su influyente ensayo El Laberinto de la Soledad (1961) Octa-
vio Paz habl de la relacin entre Mxico y la soledad de manera
muy hermosa y convincente. Para Paz, la soledad es quiz la
caracterstica que ms define el carcter del mexicano, pues se
vuelve aparente incluso en los momentos de celebracin, inclu-
so en compaa de la familia y amigos. En trminos de la historia
de Mxico, Paz habla de la soledad del pas como un periodo de
reflexin e introspeccin que sigue a los levantamientos violen-
tos. Para l, esta soledad es el momento en el que el pas se
encierra sobre s mismo para curar sus heridas. En una frase
muy reveladora en la que compara a Mxico con los Estados
Unidos, Paz escribe: Si la soledad del mexicano es la de las
aguas estancadas, la del norteamericano es la del espejo5
En la instalacin de Cai Guo-Qiang estamos solos, empe-
queecidos por la escala del espacio y la grandeza de las imge-
nes, baados en la atmsfera del mezcal. Todo est en silencio
a excepcin los crujidos de las piedras que hay bajo nuestros
pies. Este es un espacio para la reflexin, tanto literal como me-
tafrica. La sombra de un guila revolotea por el paisaje.
El camino que sube por la montaa est desierto.
Los cohetes empezaron a estallar a eso de las 4 de la tarde. Era
un bombardeo constante. Cada minuto, ms o menos, uno de
estos misiles suba a cientos de metros sobre el cielo gris y que
explotaba con un agudo estallido que haca eco por todo el valle.
Los nios corran para intentar atrapar las caudas de madera
mientras se precipitaban hacia la tierra. Las estelas de humo, que
5
 ctavio Paz, El Laberinto de la
O
Soledad, Mxico, Tercera Edicin
iban a la deriva en la brisa, se podan ver claramente contra el 1972, Decimoquinta reimpresin
fondo verde macizo del bosque. 1986; FCE, p.25
22
 Earlier this year Cai completed a major project for the Muse dArt Moderne et dArt Contemporain ( MAMAC) in Nice, Travels in
The Mediterranean (2010). As with Unmanned Nature the work includes a large scale panoramic gunpowder drawing presented with
a reflecting pool, but in this case the liquid is olive oil. Using mescal to create a reflecting pool that also serves as a focal point for the
installation, Sunshine and Solitude extends this putative series of works that engage with specific landscapes but which also use
evocative local materials to enrich the specificity of the work.

IV

Octavio Paz wrote beautifully and persuasively on the relationship between Mexico and solitude in his seminal essay The Labyrinth of
Solitude (1961). For Paz, this is perhaps a defining quality of the Mexican character, apparent even at moments of celebration, even
in the company of friends and family. In terms of Mexicos history, Paz discusses the countrys solitude as a period of reflection and
self-contemplation following violent upheavals. It represents a time for the country to withdraw into itself, to nurse its wounds. In a
telling phrase, drawing a comparison between Mexico and the USA, he writes: If the solitude of the Mexican is like a stagnant pool,
that of the North American is like a mirror...5
Within Cai Guo-Qiangs installation we are alone, dwarfed by the scale of the space, by the grandeur of the imagery, suffused with
the atmosphere of mescal. All is quiet except for the crunch of rock underfoot. This is a space for reflection, both literally and meta-
phorically. The shadow of an eagle flits across the landscape.
The road into the mountains is empty.

At around 4pm the rockets started. It was a regular bombardment; every minute or so a single missile racing hundreds of metres up into the
grey sky and exploding with a sharp boom that echoed around the valley. The children would race to try to catch the wooden tails as they
tumbled back down to earth. Smoke trails drifted on the breeze, distinct against the dull green background of the forest.
The rockets were being launched by a couple of policemen from the small square in front of the town hall. We were in Temascaltepec
and it was 15 September 2010, the Bicentennial of Mexicos independence. This was the beginning of the slow build up towards the celebra-
tions that evening that would culminate with the spectacular ignition of a huge and intricate firework castillo, forty metres high, featuring ki-
netic elements and fiery portraits of Mexicos revolutionary heroes, that would itself mark the beginning of the celebrations proper.
We watched the rockets going up and then Cai and Tatsumi wandered over and the policemen let them light some. Cai gestured to us
and we went over too. I was allowed to light one of the rockets. I dont think I can have lit a firework since I was a kid and this small honour
made me feel nervous and self-conscious. Nothing quite positions us in the present as igniting a firework. I held a lit cigarette to the fuse and
waited. And then it caught, sparks blasted out and with a whoosh the rocket raced into the sky. Boom!

5
 ctavio Paz, The Labyrinth of
O
Solitude, London 1961 ; revised Ben Tufnell
edition 1985, p.27 December 2010

23
 Los cohetes estaban siendo encendidos por un par de poli-
cas desde la pequea plaza frente al palacio municipal. Estba-
mos en Temascaltepec, y era el 15 de Septiembre de 2010, el
Bicentenario de la independencia de Mxico. Este era slo el len-
to principio de las celebraciones que esa noche culminaran con
la explosin de un enorme e intrincado castillo de fuegos artificia-
les de cuarenta metros de alto. En el castillo haba partes en mo-
vimiento, as como fieros retratos de los hroes revolucionarios de
Mxico y su explosin marcara el inicio de las celebraciones.
Vimos como suban los cohetes. Entonces, Cai y Tatsumi se
acercaron a los policas y les pidieron que los dejaran encender
uno. Cai nos hizo un gesto y tambin nos acercamos. Cre que no
haba encendido un cohete desde que era nio y este pequeo
honor me puso muy nervioso y sent que todos me miraban. No
hay nada que nos site en el presente tanto como encender un
cohete. Llev un cigarro encendido hasta la mecha y esper. En-
tonces se encendi, salieron chispas, el cohete alcanz el cielo
con un silbido y estall!

Ben Tufnell
December 2010

24
25
CAI GUO-QIANG,
LA ALQUIMIA DE LO LOCAL
Los circuitos internacionales del arte contemporneo articulan,
de manera compleja y siempre cambiante, estilos, valores, gustos
y tcnicas cosmopolitas con pretensiones universales, con otros
que se definen como locales y particulares. Esta dinmica entre
lo global y lo local no es exclusiva del mundo del arte, sino que
caracteriza de manera cada vez ms generalizada la cultura con-
tempornea; lo interesante es que las artes plsticas han sido
uno de los mbitos culturales que se globalizaron de manera
ms temprana y exitosa y en las que esta interaccin se ha hecho
evidente de manera ms llamativa. La relacin entre estos dos
polos no es necesariamente contradictoria, pues con frecuencia
se alimentan y refuerzan mutuamente, ya que lo global se perci-
be y se define en contraste con lo particular y lo local se hace
reconocible gracias a su diferencia con lo universal, pese a que
continuamente absorbe y modifica sus lenguajes y simbologas.
La dinmica entre lo global y lo local resulta fundamental
para interpretar la obra de Cai Guo-Qiang, un artista de origen
chino, avecindado primero en Japn y luego en Nueva York, que
fue invitado por el Museo Universitario Arte Contemporneo para
exponer sus piezas.1 Para la buena fortuna del MUAC y su pbli-
co mexicano, Cai Guo-Qiang prefiri producir una obra que aspi-
ra tener una huella decididamente local, tanto por su contenido,
smbolos y paisajes, claramente reconocibles como mexicanos,
como por sus materiales, que consisten en piedra volcnica,
mezcal y plvora nacional. En este caso, y no por primera vez en
la historia del arte de nuestro pas, una mirada externa, asumi-
damente universal, aunque con un trasfondo chino que resulta
evidente para los observadores mexicanos, interacta con las
representaciones locales del paisaje y la identidad cultural. A lo
largo de este texto habremos de discutir esta interaccin desde
diversas perspectivas.
Tensiones y paradojas
En primer lugar, hay que sealar que la aproximacin de Cai
Guo-Qiang es esencialmente sensorial: su obra recoge una serie
de impresiones y observaciones del paisaje y la cultura del cen-
tro de Mxico, lugar que ha recorrido en tres ocasiones por pe-
riodos cortos desde su primera visita en 1996. La fuerza de la
obra reside, por lo tanto, en su capacidad de empata percepti-
va, en la manera en que nos presenta una recreacin elocuente
y apelativa de Mxico utilizando el singular lenguaje grfico y las
tcnicas materiales y sensoriales que ha desarrollado a lo largo
de su brillante carrera de artista. Esta aproximacin intuitiva fue
reforzada por la capacidad de reflexin visual de Cai Guo-Qiang,
quien realiz una amplia investigacin grfica sobre los elemen-
tos paisajsticos y culturales que ms llamaron su atencin que
le permiti seleccionar los componentes visuales que incluy en
la obra Resplandor y soledad.
El resultado es una representacin de Mxico que se antoja,
por un lado, demasiado reconocible y que, por el otro, resulta
seductoramente novedosa, debido al original lenguaje plstico
empleado por el artista. Existe una tensin entre la monumenta-
lidad y capacidad de seduccin de la obra y su visin casi este- 1
 l nombre del artista se pronuncia
E
reotpica de la realidad nacional, con sus volcanes, sus nopales, tsai gwo chiang.
26
 CAI GUO-QIANG,
THE ALCHEMY OF THE LOCAL

Within international circuits of contemporary art, cosmopolitan styles, values, tastes and techniques with universal pretensions are
articulated in complex and ever changing ways with others defined as local and particular. This dynamic between the global and the
local is not exclusive of the art world; on the contrary, it is becoming an all prevailing feature of contemporary culture. Still, it is inter-
esting to note that the arts were one of the first fields to become successfully globalized in a very visible and appealing way. The
relation between both extremes is not necessarily contradictory. Often, the global feeds upon the local and vice versa, reinforcing each
other as they do. Since the global is defined as the opposite of the particular, the local becomes recognizable precisely through its
difference with the universal, even if it constantly absorbs and modifies languages and symbols regarded as global.
The dynamic between the global and the local is fundamental if one is to interpret the works by Cai Guo-Qiang.1 This artistwho
was recently invited to have a solo show at the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporneo (University Museum for Contemporary Art
[MUAC]) in Mexicowas born in China before relocating to Japan, and finally to New York where he currently resides. Luckily enough
for the MUAC and its audiences, Cai Guo-Qiang chose to make a work with a decidedly local imprint. The contents, symbols, and
landscapes in the work are clearly recognizable as Mexican, as are the local materials it contains volcanic rock, mescal, and domes-
tic gunpowder. In this case, and not for the first time in the history of art in our country, an external gazeone that is supposedly
universal, even if its Chinese influences are quite obvious for Mexican viewersinteracts with local representations of both the land-
scape and the cultural identity of the country. In this paper we will discuss this interaction from different perspectives.

Tensions and Paradoxes

1
 he name of the artist is
T The result of this process is a representation of Mexico that on the one hand seems to be all too familiar; yet, on the other, appears
pronounced: tsai gwo chiang.
In the first place, we have to say that Cai Guo-Qiangs approach to his practice is essentially sensorial. In this work, for instance, he
gathered a series of impressions and observations of the landscape and culture of central Mexico, a place he has visited thrice ever
since he came here for the first time back in 1996. With these elements, as well as with the peculiar visual language and sensorial
materials and techniques that he has developed throughout his artistic career, Cai Guo-Qiang created an eloquent and compelling
representation of Mexico whose power comes from its ability to produce perceptual empathy in its audience. This intuitive approach
was reinforced by the artists capacity to think in images. Cai carried out an extensive visual research on Mexican landscape and
culture, which then allowed him to choose the images he found more interesting and then incorporate them as the main components
of Sunshine and Solitude.
to be seductive and novel because of the original visual language used by the artist. In Sunshine and Solitude there is a tension be-

27
sus guilas, sus campos de maz, sus lagos, sus pedregales y
sus figuras histricas. Esta visin local, o localista, de Mxico
resulta problemtica para los mexicanos que participamos en los
circuitos culturales globales, pues solemos ver con desconfianza
los smbolos y las representaciones retomados por el artista, ya
que nos refieren a versiones simplistas de la historia patria y de
la identidad nacional. Pero cabe sealar que estas imgenes
han sido reproducidas y proyectadas con gran xito en la arena
internacional no solamente gracias a la propaganda comercial
de la industria turstica mexicana, sino tambin por medio de los
productos culturales, populares y cultos, elaborados a lo largo
del siglo XX por artistas, msicos y escritores mexicanos; por lo
tanto, constituyen imgenes que reflejan realidades culturales
innegables y definen el modernismo mexicano, como veremos al
final de este texto.
Por otro lado, esta representacin tal vez demasiado reco-
nocible de Mxico resulta extica y novedosa para una mirada
nacional gracias a que los monumentales dibujos de plvora
que conforman el principal elemento visual de Resplandor y so-
ledad tienen un estilo reconociblemente chino que recuerda los
famosos paisajes de tinta que caracterizan esa tradicin visual
para las visiones reduccionistas de las miradas occidentales. Al
respecto, sin embargo, hay que sealar que Cai Guo-Qiang re-
chaza cualquier identificacin fcil con su propio origen nacio-
nal, ya que prefiere presentarse como un artista cosmopolita.
Tenemos, pues, que este dilogo internacional entre un ar-
tista de origen chino y el paisaje, natural y cultural de Mxico
produjo un fecundo juego de malentendidos y reconocimientos
problemticos que vale la pena explorar.
Plvora, materialidad y sinestesia
La reflexin visual de Cai Guo-Qiang se encuentra arraigada en
una sensibilidad e intencionalidad profundamente materiales.
Esta materialidad se manifiesta sobre todo en relacin con la
principal sustancia a partir de la cual el autor trabaja sus crea-
ciones, a saber, la plvora. Es ste el material que aparece como
referencia fundamental, incluso idiosincrtica, de casi toda con-
versacin acerca de la actividad artstica de Cai, quien con fre-
cuencia es definido simplemente como el artista chino que
utiliza plvora para pintar.
Suele ser un lugar comn en las interpretaciones externas al
mundo del arte que los significados, en tanto abstracciones, se
arraigan y circulan de forma privilegiada en el mundo de las
ideas; es decir, en un plano trascendental situado por encima
de lo material. As, cuando se habla del discurso, el valor o el
significado de una creacin artstica, no evocamos en primera
instancia su materialidad. Por el contrario, el sentido, la inten-
cin y los significados artsticos tienden a ser trminos asociados
de manera natural con el ideario o imaginario de su autor.
Como se puede apreciar, el lenguaje mismo nos traiciona: en
consecuencia, los significados se pueden atribuir a una obra,
se pueden inscribir o tomar forma sobre la misma, pero en
general los pensamos como algo fundamentalmente indepen-
diente de los materiales, los cuerpos y las superficies, es decir,
los soportes tangibles, de toda produccin artstica.
La materialidad en el proceso artstico de Cai Guo-Qiang
ofrece un reto contra-intuitivo a esa forma dualista de subordinar
lo material a lo abstracto. El mismo Cai lo ha sealado en nume-
rosas entrevistas y escritos: su manipulacin mltiple, ldica e
innovadora de la plvora constituye ms que un marcador distin-
tivo de su trabajo; representa una manera de evocar la condicin 2
 a primera referencia histrica
L
tangible, pero tambin efmera, de sus creaciones plsticas. Esta confiable que se tiene sobre la
plvora, tal y como la conocemos
sensibilidad corprea en su lenguaje y tcnicas artsticas resulta hoy, proviene de textos alqumicos
indispensable en tanto nos refiere a la importancia de las cualida- atribuidos a maestros taostas del
des de la plvora como agente rector del proceso creativo. Vale la siglo IX d.C. Desde China, la
tecnologa de manufactura de la
pena detenerse un momento para tratar de ahondar un poco ms plvora viaj hacia el Oriente
acerca de las propiedades particulares de este elemento. Medio, a donde lleg en el siglo XII
La plvora es un producto artificial, sintetizado por vez pri- d.C., y eventualmente a Europa
(s.XIII), la India (s. XIV) y Amrica
mera en la China antigua.2 En esencia, consiste en una mezcla por va de las armas de fuego
de granos de azufre, carbn y salitre (nitrato de potasio). Esta espaolas en el siglo XVI.
28
29
30

2
 he first trustworthy historical
T them as something fundamentally independent from the materials, bodies, and surfaces of the work; i.e., from the tangible support of
reference about gunpowder as we
know it today comes from the
alchemical writings distributed
amongst Taoist masters of the
ninth century BC. The technology
to manufacture reached the Middle
East from China during the twelfth
century AD. Eventually it got to
Europe (thirteenth century); India
(fourteenth century) and America
through Spanish firearms in
the sixteenth century.
31
tween the monumental seductiveness of the work and an almost stereotypical vision of Mexicos reality with its historical figures and
its volcanoes, cactuses, eagles, cornfields, lakes, and lava fields. This local, or rather localist, vision is problematic for those Mexicans
who are part of global cultural circuits, since they usually suspect the symbols and representations used by the artist as simplified
versions of the countrys history and national identity. Still, we should note that if these images have been reproduced and projected
with great success in the international arena it is not only because of the commercial propaganda of the Mexican tourist industry, but
also because of the high and low culture products that were produced by Mexican artists, musicians, and writers throughout the
twentieth century. Therefore, these images do reflect undeniable cultural realities and, as we shall see at the end of this paper, also
define Mexican modernity.
Morever, since the style of the monumental gunpowder drawings that are the main visual component of Sunshine and Solitude
is powerfully reminiscent of Chinese ink landscape drawings to the reductionist Western eye, these all-too-familiar representations
of Mexico appear as something exotic and novel to local viewers. Having said this we should also note that, in dealing with these kinds of
issues, Cai Guo-Qiang rejects any easy identification with his own national origin, and instead thinks of himself as a cosmopolitan artist.
Thus we find that this international dialogue between an artist of Chinese origin and the natural and cultural landscapes of Mexico
created a fertile ground for misunderstandings and troublesome associations, which are worth exploring.
Gunpowder, Materiality and Synesthesia
Both the sensibility and the intentionality of Cai Guo-Qiangs visual explorations are deeply rooted in materiality, and the point where
this interest in the material aspect of his practice becomes clearer is in his repeated use of gunpowder. Therefore, many discussions
about Cais work involve this substance as a fundamental and even idiosyncratic trait, simply who is frequently defined simplistically
as the Chinese artist who paints with gunpowder.
Interpretations coming from outside the art world often assume that meaningsinsofar as they are abstractionsmostly circulate
and are rooted in the world of ideas; i.e. in a transcendental plane located above the material universe. Thus, the materiality of an
artwork is not the first thing to be considered when its discourse, values, or meanings are addressed. On the contrary, the sense of an
artwork, as well as its intentionality and meanings, are often associated to the authors ideology or imaginary. Language betrays
us at this point: meanings can be attributed to an artwork, they can shape it, or be inscribed upon it; but, in general, we think of
any artistic production.
The materiality of Cai Guo-Qiangs practice counter-intuitively challenges the dualistic view that subordinates the material aspects
of the work to abstract ones. Cai himself has made this point in several interviews and writings: his playful and innovative manipulation
of gunpowder is more than the trademark of his work; instead it is a way to evoke the ephemeral condition of his creations, as well as
their tangibility. Corporeal sensibility is fundamental for the techniques and languages that Cai uses in his artworks. Given that gun-
powder is the agent that determines his creative process, its material qualities are a fundamental part of his work. Therefore, it is worth
stopping for a while and further discussing the peculiar properties of this compound.
Gunpowder is an artificial mixture that was first used in ancient China.2 Essentially, it is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and saltpe-
ter (potassium nitrate). This mixture burns rapidly, producing large volumes of hot gas. Yet, it has a relatively slow decomposition rate
conjuncin de elementos da lugar a una sustancia altamente
combustible, la cual es capaz de generar un volumen considera-
ble de gas y calor. Sin embargo, la plvora tiene un grado de
descomposicin relativamente lento comparado con las sustan-
cias explosivas. Por esta razn no es capaz de generar una deto-
nacin (en sentido estricto, una explosin productora de una
onda de choque), sino que se destruye a partir de un proceso de
deflagracin. Por esta razn las explosiones provocadas por Cai
parecen a veces sorprendentemente lentas. En otras palabras, al
contacto con una chispa la plvora arde sbitamente, produ-
ciendo ruido y humo, pero sin explosin expansiva sus cuali-
dades como agente propulsor para diversas armas de fuego se
derivan por eso de la produccin sbita, pero controlada, de gas
y calor y la acumulacin de presin.
La historia de la diseminacin mundial de la plvora nos
presenta otro intrincado ejemplo de la interaccin entre lo global
y lo local. Modificada en Europa durante los siglos XV y XVI para
aumentar su explosividad, la plvora permiti el desarrollo de las
armas de fuego que facilitaron la expansin global de Occidente,
comenzando en Amrica. Entre los pueblos del Mxico antiguo,
la capacidad destructiva, el ruido y el olor de la plvora provoca-
ron terror y una extraeza profunda. As nos describe un relato
azteca la reaccin de los embajadores del emperador Moctezu-
ma ante el despliegue de armas de fuego realizado por los hom-
bres del conquistador Hernn Corts: [] dispararon el can slo despus de haber emigrado a Japn, alrededor de 1986,
grande. Y en este momento, los enviados perdieron el juicio,
quedaron desmayados. Cayeron, se doblaron cada uno por su
lado, ya no estuvieron en s.3
Un ao despus, cuando los espaoles abandonaron unos
caones tras su apresurada huida de Mxico-Tenochtitlan en la
Noche Triste, lo mexicas los trataron como objetos sagrados de
gran peligrosidad y los arrojaron al agua. Entre ellos, como entre
los incas de Per, el poder de la plvora se asoci al relmpago experiencias. Por qu es importante hacer de estas explosio-
y al trueno y tambin, inevitablemente, a la religin catlica im-
puesta por los conquistadores espaoles que blandan las armas
de fuego. En los Andes, Santiago Matamoros, o Mataindios, pa-
trono de los conquistadores, se asoci a las armas de fuego, y
stas al trueno, vinculado con Illapa, el antiguo dios conquista-
dor de los incas. Entre los yoruba de frica, esclavizados por los
europeos y trados a tierras americanas, la transformacin fue
ms compleja: Chang, el dios del trueno y figura masculina por
excelencia, se asoci con santa Brbara, patrona de los polvori-
nes portugueses, y ste es el camino que la antigua deidad
yoruba mantiene en Amrica hasta nuestros das.
Esto explica tambin por qu los pueblos nativos intentaron
apropiarse del poder sobrenatural de la plvora y del prestigio
que se asociaba a esta sustancia, haciendo de los fuegos artifi-
ciales, el uso originario de la plvora en China, un elemento cen-
tral de sus rituales religiosos. A la fecha no hay fiesta en Mxico
que no incluya cuetes, apreciados tanto por su capacidad de
generar ruido, como de producir luz. Ya en el periodo colonial,
los espaoles criticaban la propensin de las comunidades ind-
genas a gastar autnticas fortunas en fuegos artificiales para
honrar a sus santos patronos cristianos.
Por su parte, a lo largo de su carrera artstica, Cai Guo-Qiang
ha desarrollado una serie de tcnicas creativas que le han per-
mitido domesticar las diversas cualidades de la plvora ardiente.
Cabe sealar que su relacin experimental con este elemento
para realizar dibujos comenz desde que viva en China, aunque
comenz a realizar sus eventos explosivos en exteriores e hizo de
los dibujos con plvora su signo distintivo.
En cuanto al impulso que le llev a hacer de la plvora su
material preferido, Cai ha indicado que en el instante de pren-
derle fuego se genera un proceso creativo irrepetible y fugaz que
trasciende el proceso interno del artista al establecer un inter- 3
 ernardino de Sahagn, Libro XII:
B
cambio entre el pblico, el creador y un universo compartido de Que trata de la conquista de
Mxico, en Historia general de las
cosas de la Nueva Espaa, trad. de
nes violentas algo hermoso?, se pregunta Cai, Porque el artis- ngel Mara Garibay K., Mxico,
ta, como el alquimista, adquiere la habilidad de transformar Porra, 1982, p. 764.
32
33
ciertas energas, utilizando un veneno contra otro veneno, utili-
zando la tierra y convirtindola en oro.4
En una vuelta de tuerca de las que suele producir la globa-
lizacin, la plvora mexicana se ha convertido en una tradicin
local que despert en Cai una admiracin y una sorpresa tales
que en algn momento consider construir un castillo de fuegos
artificiales.
En primer lugar, se sinti maravillado ante la creatividad de
los castillos y su utilizacin de elementos mviles que no son tan
complejos ni tridimensionales en otras tradiciones y que permi-
ten producir un efecto que le parece similar a la animacin. Por
otro lado, le llam la atencin la continuada vitalidad en Mxico
de tcnicas tradicionales y artesanales de producir plvora y de
manufacturar los fuegos artificiales que han sido desplazadas en
otros pases, incluso en China, por la produccin industrial, alta-
mente tecnificada y regida por principios cientficos que utilizan
4
 n entrevista para el documental
E
de la cadena de televisin PBS
diversas sustancias para producir diferentes colores y capacida- intitulado Art21 (Estados Unidos,
des explosivas mayores. Frente a estas plvoras industriales, la 2005).
34
 compared to explosives. Therefore, it is unable to generate a detonation (strictly speaking an explosion that produces a shock wave),
but deflagrates instead. This is why the explosions produced by Cai seem at times surprisingly slow. In other words, gunpowder sud-
denly catches fire when it gets in contact with a spark, and produces noise and smoke, but not an expansive explosion. Hence, its
qualities as a propelling agent in several firearms are derived from the sudden but controlled production of gas and heat and the build
up of pressure.
The history of how the use of gunpowder spread through the world is another intricate example of the interaction between the
global and the local. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries gunpowder was modified in Europe in order to increase its power as
a propellant, and it allowed for the development of firearms that enabled the global expansion of the West that started in America. The
peoples who lived in ancient Mexico were terrified by gunpowders ability to destroy, as well as by the noise and smell it produced,

35
mexicana es mucho menos explosiva, lo cual permite, a ojos de
Cai, una mucho mayor intimidad de los fuegos artificiales, que
pueden explotar mucho ms cerca del pblico, en medio de las
plazas y de las multitudes, y no en la lejana como sucede con
los espectculos de fuegos artificiales modernos que l mismo
ha organizado, por ejemplo, durante la inauguracin de la Olim-
piada de 2008 en Beijing.
Por esta misma razn, uno de los mayores esfuerzos que
tuvo que realizar Cai para producir sus dibujos mexicanos fue
aprender a aprovechar y controlar el potencial explosivo menor
de la plvora mexicana, que haca necesario la utilizacin de
mayores cantidades de mezcla a una mayor temperatura, con el
riesgo de quemar el papel.
Por otro lado, su bsqueda de experiencias fugaces, pero
compartidas, en la transformacin de los materiales con los que
trabaja, nos ayuda a entender la gran importancia que tiene para
Cai el procedimiento de documentar y hacer pblico su proceso
creativo. Esto mismo ocurri durante la preparacin de las imge-
nes incluidas en la exposicin Resplandor y soledad, la cual se
llev a cabo en el estacionamiento del MUAC ante la mirada de un
pblico variado que incluy un amplio equipo de voluntarios pro-
venientes de la Escuela Nacional de Artes Plsticas de la UNAM.
El meticuloso trabajo de colocar diversas combinaciones y
cantidades de plvora sobre el papel especial con el que trabaja
el artista cuya manufactura se perfeccion a partir de tcnicas
japonesas tradicionales de elaboracin de papel de camo,
cubrirlas luego con recortes de cartn de diversas formas que
eran a su vez anclados al piso con cantos rodados para lograr
diferentes grados de presin, con el fin de controlar y dirigir la
explosin y las huellas que habra de dejar en el papel, tena su
36

3
 ernardino de Sahagn, Libro XII:
B was associated to firearms, which in turn were associated to Illapa, the old conquering god of the Incas. Amongst the Yoruba people
Que trata de la conquista de
Mxico, in Historia general de las
cosas de la Nueva Espaa, Trl.
ngel Mara Garibay K., Mexico,
Porra, 1982, p.764.
4
 atamoros means Moor killer;
M as well, by placing fireworks at the core of their religious ritualsessentially using gunpowder as the Chinese had originally done. Al-
and Mataindios Indian killer
37
which seemed utterly strange to them. This is how an Aztec story describes the reaction of Emperor Montezumas ambassadors when
they witnessed the use of firearms by the men of conqueror Hernn Cortes: [] they fired the large cannon. And at that moment, the
envoys went crazy and fainted. Each fell down on his knees, at the place where he was, and they were all beyond themselves with
fear.3
A year later, when the Spanish fled Mexico-Tenochtitlan on the Noche Triste (the Sad Night) they abandoned a portion of their
cannons. The Mexicas treated them as dangerous sacred objects and threw them into the water. Amongst them, as amongst Peruvian
Incas, the power of gunpowder was associated to thunder and lightning and also, unavoidably, to the Catholic religion that was forced
upon them by the conquerors with their firearms. In the Andes, Santiago Matamoros or Mataindios,4 the patron saint of conquerors,
from Africa, who were enslaved and brought to America by Europeans, the transformation was far more complex: Chang, the god of
fire, and the ultimate masculine figure in the Yoruba religion, was associated to Saint Barbara, the patron saint of Portuguese gunpow-
der magazines. In the Americas, the old Yoruba deity is still treading that path.
This also explains why native peoples tried to appropriate the otherworldly power of gunpowder, and the prestige associated to it
ready during the Colonial period, the Spanish criticized the tendency of native communities to spend actual fortunes in fireworks to
contrapunto en el momento en que el artista prenda fuego a la
mecha y se produca la explosin sbita e irreversible. El resulta-
do final de cada explosin fue tan inesperado como sorprenden-
te, en cuanto a la sutileza de las formas y trazos con los que Cai
logr generar las diversas imgenes con las que fue construyen-
do el paisaje de esta exposicin.
A su vez, los otros materiales con los cuales Cai defini el
espacio en el cual se instalaron los grandes dibujos que confor-
man Resplandor y soledad nos ofrecen una pauta adicional para
reflexionar sobre la materialidad de esta obra. Cai utiliz mezcal
y piedra volcnica para transformar la sala de exhibicin en un
extraordinario espejo lquido, cuyos contornos crean una recons-
truccin potica del antiguo lago de Texcoco, tal como se encon-
traba en el momento de la llegada de los espaoles, y de la
plvora, a estas tierras. De esta manera, el artista logr situar su
panormica mexicana dentro de un contexto firmemente local,
pero al mismo tiempo novedoso en tanto producto de la especial
empata visual y emocional de su creador con algunas de las
imgenes que ms le impactaron durante sus breves recorridos
por el centro de nuestro pas.
En particular, Cai quiso utilizar el mezcal para evocar la es-
pecial soledad que percibe en los mexicanos y que se manifiesta
en el consumo de esta bebida idiosincrsicamente nuestra
lo cual puede resultar sorprendente, ya que los mexicanos ten-
demos a considerar el consumo de sta y otras bebidas
alcohlicas como una actividad social y alegre. Al utilizar el
mezcal como vehculo para invocar la soledad, Cai no se limit
simplemente a recordar el aislamiento interior, individual, de
quien consume esta bebida, sino que acaso encontr un medio,
un fluido, cuya presencia y efecto podran detonar un estado
reflexivo, meditativo, en quienes visitaron la exposicin.
En efecto, la primera impresin que se lleva el pblico que
acude a este espacio no es visual, sino olfativa, cuando percibe
el singular olor del mezcal a varios metros de distancia de la
entrada de la sala. El olor envuelve al espectador al entrar a la
sala y lo acompaa durante todo el recorrido, generando un
38
 honor their Catholic patron saints. Still today, in Mexico, there is no celebration without cuetes, fireworks that are appreciated for
their capacity to produce light and noise.
Going back to Cai Guo-Qiang we should say that throughout his career, he has developed a series of creative techniques to do-
mesticate the different qualities of burning gunpowder. In this sense it is important to mention that the artist started working with this
substance to make drawings while he was still living in China, although he only started making outdoor explosive events after moving
to Japan in 1986, and made gunpowder drawings his signature medium.
Regarding what inspired him to use gunpowder as his main material, Cai has stated that he finds it interesting because, once it
has been ignited; it starts a fleeting and unrepeatable creative process that goes beyond the artist by establishing a shared universe
of experiences between him and his audience. Why is it so important to create something beautiful out of these violent explosions?
asks Cai; and he answers: Because the artist, just as the alchemist, has the capacity to transform certain energies, to use a poison
against another poison, to turn dirt into gold5
In one of those unexpected turns often generated by globalization, fireworks have become a local tradition in Mexico. Cai was so
surprised by it, and admired it so much, that at some point he entertained the idea of building his own firework castillo, (he later
decided it would be more appropriate to propose a different type of explosion event, though this proposal had to be abandoned due
to budgetary reasons).
The first thing that Cai found surprising about traditional Mexican fireworks was how creative the castillos or firework displays
5
Interview for the TC documentary
Art21 produced by PBS (USA, were, particularly in their use of moving parts that are not as complex and tri-dimensional in other traditions, and which produce an
2005). effect akin to animation. He was also astounded by the continuity and vitality of traditional gunpowder and firework manufacturing

39
40
 techniques in our country; since in most other placesincluding Chinathey have been replaced by more technically efficient and
scientific industrial procedures that utilize chemical substances to produce different colors and higher lift charges. Mexican gunpow-
der is a lot less explosive than those industrially manufactured mixtures. In the eyes of Cai, this allows for a more intimate relation with
fireworks, since they may burn closer to the audience, right in the middle of a square occupied by a crowd and not as far away from
the spectators as happens with the kind of modern firework shows he usually organizes, such as the one he designed for the opening
of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
For this reason, one of the biggest challenges for Cai when working on his Mexican drawings, was to learn how to use and
control Mexican gunpowder with its diminished explosive potential. If he used more gunpowder at higher temperatures, there was a
risk of burning the paper.
Given that Cais works are created through the transformation of the material itself in a fleeting process, he is also keenly inter-
ested in sharing it with other people by documenting it or by doing his drawings in public. Therefore, he prepared the images exhib-
ited as part of Sunshine and Solitude exhibition in the MUAC s parking lot, before the eyes of a diverse audience that also included a
large team of volunteers who were mostly art students from the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plsticas of the UNAM.
He started this painstaking process by placing different amounts of gunpowder on the special paper he uses for his work- a kind
of hemp paper manufactured with traditional Japanese techniques. Then he covered them with cardboard cuttings in different shapes,
which were fixed to the ground with stones meant to control the degree of pressure and thus control and direct the explosion and the
traces it would leave upon the paper. The counterpoint to this slow process came when he lit each fuse; triggering the sudden and
irreversible blast. The outcome of each explosion was both unexpected and surprising since it produced the subtle shapes and strokes
in the images that Cai used to build the landscape of his exhibition.
The other materials that Cai used in the installation of Sunshine and Solitude, side by side with the large format drawings, also
offer some clues if we are to think about the materiality of his practice. The artist used mescal and crushed volcanic rock to turn the
exhibition space into a poetic reconstruction of the old Texcoco Lake an extraordinary fluid mirror that follows the contours that the
lake had when the Spanish first arrived to this land with their gunpowder. Thus, the artist managed to place his Mexican panorama
in a local context, but he also made it feel as something new, since it was a product of the visual and emotional empathy that he felt
towards some of the images found during his site visits through the central region of our country.
Cai decided to use mescal because, for him, the taste and the smell of this typically Mexican spirit evoked the solitude involved
in its consumption as well as in other traits of Mexican life. Although it might seem surprising that something we usually consider to
be part of social and cheerful activities was associated to solitude by Cai, he did not just use it to address inner isolation, but also
as a medium whose presence and effects could induce a contemplative state in those who visited the exhibition.
Indeed, the first impressions received by the audiences who visit this space are not visual, but olfactory, when the singular smell
of mescal is perceived several meters away from the entrance to the exhibition room. The smell stays with the audience throughout
the whole visit, generating an effect that contributes to the overall affective, corporal, visual, and emotional experience of the work.
The crushed volcanic rock that covers the ground is quite unstable, and it crunches every time the visitor takes a step. Thus, it
creates a certain lack of stability when moving through the room, which gives the visit a strange physical dimension. Finally, the light
design for the spacewhich was also created by the artiststresses the darkness of the rock and turns the mescal lake in some sort

41
efecto que se constituye como parte de la resonancia afectiva,
corporal, visual y emocional de esta obra.
A su vez, el piso de piedra volcnica se mueve ligeramente
y cruje con cada paso de los visitantes, creando una cierta ines-
tabilidad en el andar a lo largo de la sala, lo que da al recorrido
una dimensin fsica poco comn. Finalmente, la iluminacin,
diseada por el propio artista, destaca el color oscuro de la pie-
dra y convierte el lago de mezcal en una especie de espejo de
obsidiana. El resultado es una inmersin sinestsica; es decir,
que involucra simultneamente todos los sentidos, y logra envol-
ver al espectador en una experiencia intemporal y a la vez clara-
mente reconocible del Valle de Mxico.
En este sentido, la instalacin final de las obras es mucho
ms que una mera exhibicin de los dibujos, los cuales a su vez
no son un simple producto de las explosiones y su laboriosa pre-
paracin De modo que tenemos una obra multidimensional que
incluye el proceso de elaboracin de las obras grficas por me-
dio de la utilizacin controlada y siempre azarosa de la plvora
mexicana, documentada en un video, las obras en s mismas
que retoman elementos claves del repertorio grfico de la identi-
dad nacional, y su despliegue en una instalacin que recrea,
ms que reproducir, un paisaje ideal del Valle de Mxico.
Un Mxico eterno y modernista
La experiencia producida por Resplandor y soledad combina
elementos de muy distinta antigedad y con fuertes resonancias
simblicas e identitarias, como apuntamos arriba. En esta sec-
cin final intentaremos desmenuzar esta complicada trama.
En primer lugar, Cai alude en la materialidad misma de la
piedra volcnica al paisaje del Pedregal de San ngel, el campo
de lava producido por la erupcin del volcn Xitle hace dos mi-
lenios, que ha sido convertido a lo largo del siglo XX en un pode-
roso elemento esttico del modernismo mexicano, desde las
pinturas del Dr. Atl y las fotografas de Armando Salas Portugal,
hasta el urbanismo del sur de la ciudad de Mxico, en la arqui-
tectura de Ciudad Universitaria, en el fraccionamiento del Pe-
dregal. Cai reconoce la fuerte impresin que le provoc la
utilizacin de las grandes rocas de lava oscura en la arquitectura
de Ciudad Universitaria, y particularmente en el Espacio Escul-
trico. De esta manera, su instalacin muestra un elemento cla-
ve de lo que podemos llamar el paisaje natural y tambin
moderno del Valle de Mxico.
Adems, Cai reproduce en sus dibujos algunos smbolos
clave de la historia prehispnica de la regin, particularmente de
Mxico-Tenochtitlan, aludiendo al guila que se pos sobre el
nopal para marcar el lugar donde los mexicas fundaran esa
ciudad, y tambin imgenes del Cdice Borbnico, pintado por
tlacuilome, artistas-escritores aztecas en el siglo XVI. Lo mismo
podra decirse del maz, una planta asociada por milenios con la
alimentacin y la cultura nacionales. Al incluir estos elementos,
el artista no hace sino reflejar su presencia notoria en la imagi-
nera y en la identidad mexicana moderna que se refieren cons-
tantemente a ese pasado idealizado como un ancla histrica de
nuestro presente moderno y cosmopolita.
Algo parecido puede decirse de las imgenes alusivas al bi-
centenario de la Independencia y el centenario de la Revolucin,
interpretaciones que hace el artista de las recreaciones histri-
cas que circularon en Mxico a lo largo de 2010, producidas por
el Estado en un intento por construir una historia nacional que
resultara consensual y unificadora.
El indiscutible mrito de la obra de Cai Guo-Qiang ha sido,
sin duda, poder recombinar estos elementos tan conocidos y
transformarlos, por medio de la alquimia que l mismo asocia
con el trabajo artstico, en una visin personal y novedosa de
nuestros paisajes natural y cultural.
Carlos Mondragn y Federico Navarrete
42
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44
 of obsidian mirror. The outcome is a synesthetic immersion where all the senses are simultaneously involved, and where the spectator
experiences the Valley of Mexico as something both timeless and easily recognizable.
In this sense, the final installation is a lot more than a mere exhibition of the drawings; which, in turn, are not just a by-product
of the explosions and their painstaking preparation. Sunshine and Solitude is a multi-dimensional work. As such, it includes the con-
trolled and random process of creating the drawings with Mexican gunpowder; the video documentation of this process; the works
themselves; their use of key elements in the graphic repertoire of national identity; and finally, the display of these works in an instal-
lation that goes beyond reproduction by recreating an ideal landscape of the Valley of Mexico.

Eternal and Modern Mexico

As we already said, the experience produced by Sunshine and Solitude brings together strong symbolic and identity-formation con-
notations from very different historical periods. In this final section, we will try to unravel this complex temporary web.
In the first place, the materiality of the rock used by Cai is a reference to the landscape of the Pedregal de San ngel, the large
lava field produced by the eruption of the Xitle volcano two millennia ago. During the twentieth century, this site became a powerful
aesthetic reference for Mexican modern art, and it inspired works such as Dr. Atls paintings and Armando Salas Portugals photo-
graphs. This landscape was also important for urban design south of Mexico City, especially in the layout of University City, or the
Pedregal housing development. Cai acknowledges that he was very impressed by the use of dark lava rocks in the buildings of Uni-
versity City, and especially in the collective outdoor sculpture known as the Espacio Escultrico. By including this material, Cais instal-
lation used one of the key elements that bridge the natural landscape of the valley with Mexicos modern cityscape.
In his drawings, Cai also reproduces some of the most important symbols for the pre-Columbian history of the region, and espe-
cially of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. One of them is the eagle perched on a cactus, an image that was supposed to mark the place where the
Mexicas would found their city. He also included images inspired by the Borbonic Code, a document painted by tlacuilome (Aztec
artist-writers) in the sixteenth century; as well as some pictures of corn, the plant that has been the basis of the national culture and
diet for millennia.
By including these icons, the artist is just showing their outstanding presence in the construction of a modern Mexican Identity,
one that is constantly going back to that idealized past as an historical anchor for our modern and cosmopolitan present. Something
similar might be said of the images that come from the celebrations of Bicentennial of the Independence and the Centennial of the
Revolution. The interpretations made by the artist of the historical recreations which circulated in Mexico during 2010 were based on
the icons produced by the State in an attempt to build a consensual and unifying national history.
The undeniable merit of Cai Guo-Qiangs work lies in its ability to re-combine all these well-known elements and transform them
in a process similar to alchemy, which he has often compared to artistic laborinto a personal and innovative view of our natural and
cultural landscapes.

Carlos Mondragn and Federico Navarrete

45
46
47
48
 OBRA WORK

49
 50
RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: Hroes, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 412m
51
52
53
RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: guila, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 43m
54
55
Pginas anteriores. RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: Enlazando caballos, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 38m 56
RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: Flores de amapola, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 46m

57
58
59
 60
Pginas anteriores. RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: Mar de casas, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 412m
61
RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: Quetzalcatl y Xipe Ttec, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 64m
RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: Pueblo y nios, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 49m 62
63
 64
RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: Castillo, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 74m
65
RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: Espritus, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 34m
66
67
RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: Camino a Temascaltepec, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 68m
 68
RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: Pino, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 83m
76 71
RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: Maizal, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 34m
 77
RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: Tonatiuh, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 46 m
RESPLANDOR Y SOLEDAD: Sombra, 2010 dibujo, papel y plvora 312m

78
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CAI GUO-QIANG
December 8, 1957, Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China

Education Fireworks Artistic Director, Republic of China Centennial, 2010 1997

Department of Stage Design, Shanghai Theatre Academy, Core member of the creative team, 2010 Taipei International Flora Flying Dragon in the Heavens, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art,
Shanghai, China, 19811985 Exposition Humlebaek, Denmark. Exh. cat.
Cultural Melting Bath: Projects for the 20th Century, Queens
Residence
Museum of Art, New York. Exh. cat.
Tokyo, Japan, 19861995 SELECTED EXHIBITION HISTORY
New York, USA, 1995present 1998
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Day Dreaming, Eslite Gallery (Cherng Piin), Taipei. Exh. cat.
Grants and Awards
1987
Fondation Cartier pour lart contemporain, Paris, France, 1993 1999
Cai Guo-Qiangs Painting, Office of the Foreign Correspondents
Benesse Prize in conjunction with TransCulture, 46th Venice I Am the Y2K Bug, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna. Exh. cat.
Club of Japan, Tokyo, May 18June 16.
Biennale, Venice, Italy, 1995 2000
Gunpowder Art, Kigoma, Tokyo.
Japan Cultural Design Prize, Tokyo, Japan, 1995 Cai Guo-Qiang, Fondation Cartier pour lart contemporain, Paris.
P.S.1 The Institute for Contemporary Art: National and International 1989
Exh. cat.
Studio Program, Asian Cultural Council Grant, New York, USA, Explosions and Space Holes, Kigoma, Tokyo.
19951996 2001
1990
Oribe Award, Gifu, Japan, 1997 Performing Chinese Ink Painting, Contemporary Art Gallery,
Works 1988/89, Osaka Contemporary Art Center.
Golden Lion, 48th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy, 1999 Vancouver, and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden,
1991 Vancouver.
CalArts/Alpert Award in the Arts, Valencia, USA, 2001
Primeval Fireball: The Project for Projects, P3 art and environment, Impression Oil Drawings, Charles H. Scott Gallery, Vancouver.
Best Monographic Museum Show (for Cai Guo-Qiang: Inopportune)
Tokyo. Exh. cat. An Arbitrary History, Muse dArt Contemporain de Lyon. Exh. cat.
and Best Installation or Single Work in a Museum (for Inopportune:
Stage One), International Association of Art Critics, United States 1992 Traveled to S.M.A.K. (Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst), Ghent.
Section, New England Chapter, 2005 Wailing Wall: From the Engine of Four Hundred Cars, IBM Kawasaki 2002
Hiroshima Art Prize, Hiroshima City Culture Foundation, Hiroshima, Gallery. Cai Guo-Qiang, Shanghai Art Museum. Exh. cat.
Japan, 2007 1993 Cai Guo-Qiangs CHADO Pavilion: Homage to Tenshin Okakura,
20th Fukuoka Prize for Arts and Culture, Fukuoka, Japan, 2009 Cai Guo-Qiang, Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum, (now Hakone Open-Air Museum. Exh. cat.
First Place for Best Project in a Public Space (for Cai Guo-Qiang: Benesse House), Naoshima. Ethereal Flowers, Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea, Trento.
Fallen Blossoms), International Association of Art Critics, United Long Mai: The Dragon Meridian, P3 art and environment, Tokyo. Exh. cat.
States Section, 2010
1994 2003
Distinguished Positions Calendar of Life, Gallery APA, Nagoya. Exh. cat. Matrix 204 Fireworks from Heaven, Berkeley Art Museum, University
Core member of the creative team and Director of Visual and From the Pan-Pacific, Iwaki City Art Museum, Fukushima. Exh. cat. of California.
Special Effects for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Concerning Flame, Tokyo Gallery. An Explosion Event: Light Cycle Over Central Park, Asia Society
Olympics in Beijing Chaos, Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo. Exh. cat. Museum, New York. Exh. cat.
Director of fireworks festivities for Chinas 60th National Day,
Beijing, 2009

81
CAI GUO-QIANG
Naci el 8 de diciembre de 1957 en Quanzhou, pueblo situado en
la costa sureste de la Provincia de Fujian, China.

Educacin Director de fuegos artificiales para los festejos del 60 Da Museo de Arte de la Ciudad de Iwaki, Fukushima, Japn, From the
Departamento de Escenografa de la Academia de Teatro de Nacional de China, Beijing, 2009. Pan-Pacific. Cat. expo.
Shangai, Shanghai, China, 19811985. Director artstico de fuegos artificiales para el centenario de la Tokio Gallery, Concerning Flame.
Residencia Repblica China, 2010 Getagaya Art Museum, Tokio, Chaos. Cat. expo.
Tokio, Japn, 19861995. Miembro del equipo creativo para la Exposicion internacional de la 1997
Nueva York, EEUU, desde 1995 hasta el momento. flora en Taipei, 2010 Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Dinamarca, Flying
Premios y Becas Dragon in the Heavens. Cat. expo.
Fondation Cartier pour lart contemporain, Pars, Francia, 1993. EXPOSICIONES (SELECCIN) Queens Museum of Art, Nueva York, Cultural Melting Bath: Projects
Benesse Prize como parte de la exposicin TransCulture, en la 46 for the 20th Century. Cat. expo.
EXPOSICIONES INDIVIDUALES
Bienal de Venecia, Italia, 1995. 1998
1987
Japan Cultural Design Prize, Tokio, Japn, 1995. Eslite Gallery Chemg Piin, Taipei, Day Dreaming. Cat. expo.
Oficina del Club de Corresponsales Extranjeros en Japn, Tokio, Cai
P.S.1 The Institute for Contemporary Art: National and International
Guo-Qiangs Painting. 1999
Studio Program, Asian Cultural Council Grant, Nueva York, EEUU,
Kigoma, Tokio, Cai Guo- Qiang: Gunpowder Art. Kunsthalle Wien, Viena, I Am the Y2K Bug. Cat. expo.
19951996.
Oribe Award, Gifu, Japn, 1997. 1989 2000
Golden Lion, 48 Bienal de Venecia, Venecia, Italia, 1999. Kigoma, Tokio, Explosions and Space Holes. Fondation Cartier pour lart contemporain, Pars, Cai Guo-Qiang.
CalArts/Alpert Award in the Arts, Valencia, EEUU, 2001. Cat. expo.
1990
Best Monographic Museum Show for Cai Guo-Qiang: Inopportune Centro de Arte Contemporneo de Osaka, Japn, Works 1988/89. 2001
and Best Installation or Single Work in a Museum for Inopportune: Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canad, y Dr. Sun Yat-Sen
1991
Stage One, International Association of Art Critics, Seccin Classical Chinese Garden, Vancouver, Canad, Performing Chinese
P3 art and environment, Tokio, Primeval Fireball: The Project for
estadounidense, 2005. Ink Painting.
the Projects. Cat. expo.
Hiroshima Art Prize, Hiroshima City Culture Foundation, Hiroshima, Charles H. Scott Gallery, Vancouver, Canad, Impression Oil
Japn, 2007. 1992 Drawings.
20th Fukuoka Prize for Arts and Culture, Fukuoka, Japn, 2009. IBM Kawasaki Gallery, Wailing Wall: From the Engine of Four Muse dArt Contemporain de Lyon, Francia, An Arbitrary History.
Primer lugar para el mejor proyecto en un espacio pblico. Cai Hundred Cars. Cat. expo. La muestra viaj despus al S.M.A.K. Stedelijk Museum
Guo-Qiang: Fallen Blossoms. International Association of Art 1993 voor Actuele Kunst, Gante, Blgica.
Critics, Seccin estadounidense, 2010. Museo de Arte Contemporneo de Naoshima actualmente Benesse 2002
Cargos distinguidos House, Naoshima, Japn, Cai Guo-Qiang. Museo de Arte de Shanghai, China, Cai Guo-Qiang. Cat. expo.
Miembro del equipo creativo y Director de efectos visuales y P3 art and environment, Tokio, Long Mai: The Dragon Meridian. Museo al Aire Libre Hakone, Japn, Cai Guo-Qiangs CHADO
especiales para la apertura y clausura de los Juegos Olmpicos de 1994 Pavilion: Homage to Tenshin Okakura. Cat. expo.
Beijing 2008. Gallery APA, Nagoya, Japn, Calendar of Life. Cat. expo. Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea, Trento, Italia, Ethereal
Flowers. Cat. expo.

82
2004
Traveler, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Hirshhorn Museum and
Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C..
Inopportune, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North
Adams. Exh. cat.
2005
On Black Fireworks, Institut Valenci dArt Modern. Exh. cat.
Paradise, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw. Exh. cat.
Life Beneath the Shadow, Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh. Exh. cat.
2006
Inopportune, SITE Santa Fe (organized by the Massachusetts
Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams).
Stage, San Gimignano Mountain and Galleria Continua, San
Gimignano.
Cai Guo-Qiang on the Roof: Transparent Monument, Metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York. Exh. cat.
Long Scroll, Shawinigan Space, National Gallery of Canada,
Quebec (organized in collaboration with the Massachusetts
Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams). Exh. cat.
Head On, Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin (organized by the Deutsche
Bank Collection). Exh. cat.
Captured Wind Arrested Shadow: Cai Guo-Qiang and Lin
Hwai-mins Wind Shadow, Eslite Gallery (Cherng Piin), Taipei. Exh.
cat.
2007
Inopportune: Stage One, Seattle Art Museum, semi-permanent
installation.
Light Passage: Cai Guo-Qiang & Shiseido, Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo.
Exh. cat.
2008
I Want to Believe, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Exh.
cat.
I Want to Believe, National Art Museum of China, Beijing
(organized in collaboration with the Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum, New York). Exh. cat.
83
The 7th Hiroshima Prize, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary
Art. Exh. cat.
2009
Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe, Guggenheim Bilbao (organized
in collaboration with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New
York). Exh. cat.
Cai Guo-Qiang: Hanging Out in the Museum, Taipei Fine Arts
Museum. Exh. cat.
Cai Guo-Qiang: Fallen Blossoms, Philadelphia Museum of Art and
The Fabric Workshop and Museum, at The Fabric Workshop and
Museum; at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Exh. cat.
2010
Cai Guo-Qiang: Peasant Da Vincis, Rockbund Art Museum,
Shanghai. Exh. cat.
Cai Guo-Qiang: Travels in the Mediterranean, Museum of Modern
and Contemporary Art, Nice. Exh. cat.
Cai Guo-Qiang: Head On, National Museum of Singapore
(organized by the Deutsche Bank Collection).
Cai Guo-Qiang: Odyssey, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, permanent
gunpowder drawing installation in the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong
Chao Arts of China Gallery.
Cai Guo-Qiang: Sunshine and Solitude, Museo Universitario Arte
Contemporneo, Mexico City. Exh. cat.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1985
Cai Guo-Qiang and Hong Hong Wu: Paintings, Quanzhou Art
Gallery, 1985.
The Shanghai and Fujian Youth Modern Art Joint Exhibition, Fuzhou
City Museum.
1987
55th Memorial Exhibition of Dokuritsu Art Association, Tokyo
Metropolitan Art Museum.
1989
16th International Modern Art AU Show, Tokyo Metropolitan Art
Museum, 1989.
89 Tama River Fussa Outdoor Art Exhibition, Fussa Minami Park
and Kumagawa Shrine, Fussa, Tokyo. Exh. cat.
1990
Chine demain pour hier, Pourrires, Aix-en-Provence. Exh. cat.
Museum City Tenjin 90: Circulation of Sensibility: Visual City,
Functioning Art, Fukuoka City Hall and Nagahama Port, Fukuoka.
Exh. cat.
The 7th Japan Ushimado International Art Festival, Ushimado,
Okayama. Exh. cat.
1991
Asian Wave: China, Tokyo Gallery.
Exceptional Passage: Chinese Avant-Garde Artists Exhibition,
Mitsubishi-jisho Artium and Kashii former train yard, Fukuoka
(organized by Museum City Project, Fukuoka). Exh. cat.
1992
Encountering the Others: The Kassel International Art Exhibition,
various sites, Hannover-Mnden and Kassel. Exh. cat.
Looking for Tree of Life: A Journey to Asian Contemporary Art,
Museum of Modern Art, Saitama. Exh. cat.
Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner Telekommunizierbarkeit,
TransformatorVerein zur Frderung aktueller Kunst, St. Veit/Glan.
Exh. cat.
1993
Silent Energy, Museum of Modern Art Oxford (now Modern Art
Oxford). Exh. cat.
Outdoor Workshop 93, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shiga
Prefecture. Exh. cat.
1994
Promenade in Asia, Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo. Exh. cat.
Making New Kyoto 94, Kyoto City Hall (organized by the city of
Kyoto).
Mito Annual 94: Open System, Art Tower Mito Contemporary Art
Center. Exh. cat.
Well-Spring, Bath Festival Exhibition. Exh. cat.
Creativity in Asian Art Now, Hiroshima City Museum of Contempo-
rary Art. Exh. cat.
2003
Berkeley Art Museum, Universidad de California, Matrix 204
Fireworks from Heaven.
Asia Society Museum, Nueva York, An Explosion Event: Light Cycle
Over Central Park,. Cat. expo.
2004
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery y Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture
Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Traveler.
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams,
Massachusetts, Inopportune. Cat. expo.
2005
Institut Valencia dArt Modern, Valencia, On Black Fireworks. Cat.
expo.
Galera Nacional de Arte Zacheta, Varsovia, Paradise. Cat. expo.
Fruitmarket Gallery, Edimburgo, Reino Unido, Life Beneath the
Shadow. Cat. expo.
2006
SITE Santa Fe, Nuevo Mxico exposicin organizada por el
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams,
Massachusetts, Inopportune.
Colina de San Gimignano y Gallera Continua, San Gimignano,
Italia, Stage.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nueva York, Cai Guo-Qiang on the
Roof: Transparent Monument. Cat. expo.
Shawinigan Space, National Gallery of Canada, Quebec, Canad,
exposicin organizada en colaboracin con el Massachusetts
Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams, Massachusetts, Long
Scroll. Cat. expo.
Deustche Guggenheim, Berln exposicin organizada por la
Deustche Bank Collection, Head On. Cat. expo.
Eslite Gallery Cherng Piin, Taipei, China, Captured Wind Arrested
Shadow: Cai Guo-Qiang and Lin Hwai-mins Wind Shadow. Cat.
expo.
2007
Seattle Art Museum, Washington, Inopportune: Stage One,
instalacin semipermanente.
Shiseido Gallery, Tokio, Light Passage: Cai Guo-Qiang & Shiseido.
Cat. expo.
2008
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Nueva York, I Want to Believe.
Cat. expo. La exposicin viaj al Museo Nacional de Arte de China,
Beijing. Cat. expo.
Museo de Arte Contemporneo de la Ciudad de Hiroshima, 7th
Hiroshima Art Prize. Cat. expo.
2009
Guggenheim Bilbao organizado en colaboracin con el Solomon R.
Guggenheim Museum, Nueva York Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to
Believe, Nueva York. Exh. cat.
Museo de Bellas Artes de Taipei, Cai Guo-Qiang: Hanging Out in
the Museum. Exh. cat.
Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Fabric Workshop and
Museum, Cai Guo-Qiang: Fallen Blossoms. Exh. cat.
2010
Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai, Cai Guo-Qiang: Peasant Da
Vincis. Exh. cat.
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Niza, Cai Guo-Qiang:
Travels in the Mediterranean. Exh. cat.
Museo Nacional de Singapore (organizado por Deutsche Bank
Collection), Cai Guo-Qiang: Head On.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Cai Guo-Qiang: Odyssey, instalacin
permanente de dibujos con plvora en el Ting Tsung and Wei Fong
Chao Arts de la Galera China.
Museo Universitario Arte Contemporneo, UNAM, Mxico, D.F.
Cai Guo-Qiang: Resplandor y soledad. Exh. cat.
EXPOSICIONES COLECTIVAS
1985
Quanzhou Art Gallery, China, Cai Guo-Qiang and Hong Hong Wu:
Paintings.
Museo de la Ciudad de Fuzhou, China, The Shanghai and Fujian
Youth Modern Art Joint Exhibition.
1987
Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Tokio, 55 Memorial Exhibition of
Dokoritsu Art Association.
1989
Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Tokio, 16th International Modern
Art AU Show.
Parque Fussa Minami y Templo Kumagawa, Fussa, Tokio, 89 Tama
River Fussa Outdoor Art Exhibition. Cat. expo.
1990
Pourrires, Aix-en-Provence, Francia, Chine demain pour hier. Cat.
expo.
Ayuntamiento de Fukuoka y Puerto de Nagahama, Fukuoka, Japn,
Museum City Tenjin 90: Circulation of Sensibility: Visual City,
Functioning Art. Cat. expo.
Ushimado, Prefectura de Okayama, Japn, The 7th Japan
Ushimado International Art Festival. Cat. expo.
1991
Tokyo Gallery, Asian Wave: China.
Mitsubishi-jisho Artium y antigua estacin de ferrocarril de Kashii,
Fukuoka, Japn exposicin organizada por el Proyecto de Ciudad
Museo, Fukuoka, Exceptional Passage: Chinese Avant-Garde Artists
Exhibition. Cat. expo.
1992
Varias sedes, Hannover-Mnden y Kassel, Alemania, Encountering
the Others. The Kassel International Art Exhibition. Cat. expo.
Museo de Arte Moderno, Prefectura de Saitama, Japn, Looking for
Tree of Life: A Journey to Asian Contemporary Art. Cat. expo.
Transformator-Verein zur Frderung aktueller Kunst, St.Veit/Glan,
Austria, Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner Telekommunizierbarkeit.
Cat. expo.
1993
Museum of Modern Art Oxford ahora Modern Art Oxford, Silent
Energy. Cat, expo.
Parque cultural de la cermica de Shigaraki, Prefectura de Shiga,
Japn, Outdoor Workshop 93. Cat. expo.
84
Heart of Darkness, Krller-Mller Museum, Otterlo. Exh. cat.
1995
The Ever-Changing, Drifting Heat: The First Johannesburg
Biennale, Electric Workshop, Johannesburg. Exh. cat.
Art in Japan Today 19851995, Museum of Contemporary Art,
Tokyo. Exh. cat.
TransCulture, 46th Venice Biennale, Palazzo Giustinian Lolin. Exh.
cat.
Ripple Across the Water, Watari Museum of Contemporary Art,
Tokyo. Exh. cat.
Contemplation, Ho-Am Museum, Seoul. Exh. cat.
1996
In the Ruins of the Twentieth Century. Twentieth Annual
International Studio Artists Exhibition OFF-SITE, P.S.1 The Institute
for Contemporary Art. Off-site: 80 Lafayette Street, New York. Exh.
cat.
Between Earth and the Heavens: Aspects of Contemporary
Japanese Art II, Nagoya City Art Museum. Exh. cat. Traveled to
Rufino Tamayo Art Museum, Mexico City.
The Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland
Art Gallery, South Brisbane. Exh. cat.
23rd Bienal Internacional de So Paulo: Universalis, Pavilho
Ciccillo Matarazzo, Parque do Ibirapuera, So Paulo. Exh. cat.
Origins and Myths of Fire: New Art from Japan, China and Korea.
Exh. cat.
De Rode Poort (The Red Gate), Museum Van Hedendaagse Kunst
Gent (now S.M.A.K. [Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst]). Exh.
cat.
The Hugo Boss Prize 1996, Guggenheim Museum SoHo, New York.
Exh. cat.
1997
Promenade in Asia II, Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo. Exh. cat.
Performance Anxiety, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Exh.
cat. Traveled to Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego; SITE
Santa Fe.
Future, Past, Present, 47th Venice Biennale, Giardini di Castelo,
Arsenale, Venice. Exh. cat.
85
5th International Istanbul Biennial: On Life, Beauty, Translation,
and Other Difficulties, various sites, Istanbul, Oct. Exh. cat.
Cities on the Move, Secession, Exhibition Hall for Contemporary Art,
Vienna. Exh. cat. Traveled to Museum of Contemporary Art,
Bordeaux; P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York; Museum of
Contemporary Art KiasmaFinnish National Gallery, Helsinki;
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark,; Hayward
Gallery, London.
1998
Wounds: Between Democracy and Redemption in Contemporary Art,
Moderna Museet, Stockholm. Exh. cat.
Where Heaven and Earth Meet, Center for Curatorial Studies Art
Museum, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, May
1024.
La Ville, le Jardin, la Mmoire: La Ville, Acadmie de France
Rome, Villa Mdicis, Rome.
Site of Desire: 1998 Taipei Biennial, Taipei Fine Arts Museum. Exh.
cat.
Global Vision: New Art from the 90s Part II, Deste Foundation
Centre for Contemporary Art, Athens.
Crossings, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Exh. cat.
Inside Out: New Chinese Art, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New
York and Asia Society, New York (organized by Asia Society and the
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art). Exh. cat. Traveled to San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Asian Art Museum of San
Francisco; Museo de Arte Contemporneo de Monterrery; Tacoma
Art Museum and Henry Art Gallery; National Gallery of Australia,
Canberra.
Issey Miyake Making Things, Fondation Cartier pour lart
contemporain, Paris, Oct. Exh. cat. Traveled to ACE Gallery, New
York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo.
Remanence, Melbourne International Festival of the Arts. Exh. cat.
1999
De Opening, S.M.A.K. (Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst),
Ghent. Exh. cat.
La Ville, le Jardin, la Mmoire: La Memoire, Acadmie de France
Rome, Villa Mdicis, Rome. Exh. cat.
Panorama 2000: Art in Utrecht Seen from the Dom Tower, Centraal
Museum, Utrecht. Exh. cat.
Aperto Over All, 48th Venice Biennale, Arsenale, Venice. Exh. cat.
Looking for a Place: The Third International Biennial, SITE Santa
Fe. Exh. cat.
International Currents in Contemporary Art, Guggenheim Museum
Bilbao.
Beyond the Future: The Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contempo-
rary Art, Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane. Exh. cat.
Kunst-Welten im Dialog (Art-Worlds in Dialogue), Museum Ludwig
Kln, Cologne. Exh. cat.
Hiriya in the Museum: Artists and Architects Proposals for
Rehabilitation of the Site, Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Exh. cat.
Zeitwenden, Kunstmuseum Bonn. Exh. cat. Traveled to Museum
Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wein, Vienna.
2000
Gratitude, Taiwan Museum of Art, Taichung, one day event and
exhibition.
Outbound: Passages from the 90s, Contemporary Arts Museum
Houston. Exh. cat.
2000 Biennial Exhibition, Whitney Museum of American Art, New
York. Exh. cat.
Pioneers of Chinese Contemporary Art, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum.
Over the Edges, S.M.A.K. (Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst),
Ghent. Exh. cat.
Biennale of Sydney 2000, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.
Exh. cat.
Erresistentziak / Resistencias (Acts of Resistance), Koldo Mitxelena
Kulturunea Erakustaret, Donostia-San Sebastian. Exh. cat.
Art Unlimited, Art 31 Basel, Art Basel, Messe Basel. Exh. cat.
La Ville, le Jardin, la Memoire: Le Jardin, Acadmie de France
Rome, Villa Mdicis, Rome. Exh. cat.
Kunstwegen, various sites between Nordhorn, Germany, and
Zwolle, the Netherlands (organized by Stdtische Galerie
Nordhorn), public art project. Exh. cat.
Sharing Exoticisms. 5th Lyon Biennale dart contemporain, Muse
dArt Contemporain de Lyon. Exh. cat.
1994
Shiseido Gallery, Tokio, Promenade in Asia. Cat. expo.
Ayuntamiento de Kioto exposicin organizada por la ciudad de
Kioto, Making New Kyoto 94.
Centro de arte contemporneo, Art Tower Mito, Japn, en Mito
Annual 94: Open System. Cat. expo.
Bath Festival Exhibition, Reino Unido, Well-Spring. Cat. expo.
Museo de Arte Contemporneo de la Ciudad de Hiroshima,
Creativity in Asian Art Now. Cat. expo.
Krller-Mller Museum, Otterlo, Pases Bajos, Heart of Darkness.
Cat. expo.
1995
Electric Workshop, Johannesburgo, Sudfrica, The Ever-Changing,
Drifting Heat en The First Johannesburg Biennale. Cat. expo.
Museo de Arte Contemporneo, Tokio, Art in Japan Today
1985-1995. Cat. expo.
Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, Venecia, Italia, TransCulture en la 46
Bienal de Venecia. Cat. expo.
Museo Watari-um de Arte Contemporneo, Tokio, Ripple Across the
Water. Cat. expo.
Ho-Am Art Museum, Sel, Contemplation. Cat. expo.
1996
The Institute for Contemporary Art. Off-site: calle Lafayette 80,
Nueva York, In the Ruins of the Twentieth Century. Twentieth
Annual International Studio Artists Exhibition OFF-SITE. Cat. expo.
Museo de Arte de la Ciudad de Nagoya, Japn, Between Earth and
the Heavens: Aspects of Contemporary Japanese Art. Cat. expo.
Viaj al Museo de Arte Contemporneo Rufino Tamayo, Mxico D.F.
Queensland Art Gallery, Sur de Brisbane, Australia, The Second
Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. Cat. expo.
Pavilho Ciccillo Matarazzo, Parque de Ibirapuera, Sao Paulo, Brasil,
Universalis en XXIII Bienal Internacional de Sao Paulo. Cat. expo.
Museo de Arte Moderno, Prefectura de Saitama, Japn, Origins and
Myths of Fire: New Art from Japan, China and Korea. Cat. expo.
Museum Van Hedendaagse Kunst Gent ahora S.M.A.K.[Stedelijk
Museum voor Actuele Kunst], Gante, Blgica, De Rode Poort (The
Red Gate). Cat. expo.
Guggenheim Museum SoHo, Nueva York, The Hugo Boss Prize 1996.
Cat. expo.
1997
Shiseido Gallery, Tokio, Paseo por Asia II Promenade in Asia II. Cat.
expo.
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Performance Anxiety. Cat.
expo. La exposicin viaj al Museum of Contemporary Art San
Diego, California; y al SITE Santa Fe, Nuevo Mxico.
Giardini di Castelo, Arsenale, Venecia, Future, Past, Present en la
47 Bienal de Venecia. Cat. expo.
Varias sedes, Estambul, 5 Bienal de Estambul: Acerca de la vida,
la belleza, la traduccin y otras dificultades 5th Istanbul Biennial:
On Life, Beauty, Translation, and Other Difficulties. Cat. expo.
Secession, Ausstellungshaus fr zeitgenossische Kunst, Viena,
Cities on the Move. Cat. expo. Viaj al CAPC, Muse dart
contemporain de Bordeaux, Francia; al P.S.l Contemporary Art
Center, Nueva York; al Museo de Arte Contemporneo Kiasma-
Galera Nacional de Finlandia, Helsinki; al Louisiana Museum of
Modern Art, Humlebaek, Dinamarca; y a la Hayward Gallery,
Londres.
1998
Moderna Museet, Estocolmo, Wounds: Between Democracy and
Redemption in Contemporary Art. Cat. expo.
Center for Curatorial Studies Art Museum, Bard College,
Annandale-on-Hudson, Nueva York, Where Heaven and Earth Meet.
Acadmie de France Rome, Villa Mdicis, Roma, La Ville, le
Jardn, la Mmoire: La Ville.
Museo de Bellas Artes de Taipei Site of Desire en la Bienal de
Taipei 1998. Cat. expo.
Kentro Sytchronis Technis Idrymatos DESTE Centro de la Fundacin
Deste para el arte contemporneo, Atenas, Global Vision: New Art
from the 90s, Part II.
National Gallery of Canad, Ottawa, Crossings. Cat. expo.
P.S.l Contemporary Art Center, Nueva York, y Asia Society, Nueva
York organizada por la Asia Society y el San Francisco Museum of
Modern Art, Inside Out: New Chinese Art. Cat. expo. Viaj al San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art y al Asian Art Museum of San
Francisco; al Museo de Arte Contempornero de Monterrey; al
Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma y Henry Art Gallery, Seattle,
Washington; y a la National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
Fondation Cartier pour lart contemporain, Pars, Issey Miyake
Making Things. Cat. expo. Viaj a la ACE Gallery, Nueva York; y al
Museo de Arte Contemporneo de Tokio.
Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, Remanence. Cat.
expo.
1999
S.M.A.K. Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Gante, Blgica, De
Opening. Cat. expo.
Acadmie de France Rome, Villa Mdicis, Roma, La Ville, le
Jardn, la Mmoire: La Mmoire. Cat. expo.
Centraal Museum, Utrecht, Pases Bajos, Panorama 2000: Art in
Utrecht seen from the Dom Tower. Cat. expo.
Arsenale, Venecia, Aperto Over All en la 48 Bienal de Venecia. Cat.
expo.
SITE Santa Fe, Nuevo Mxico, Tercera Bienal Internacional: Looking
for a Place. Cat. expo.
Museo Guggenheim Bilbao, International Currents in Contemporary
Art.
Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane, Australia, Beyond The
Future: The Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. Cat.
expo.
Museum Ludwig Kln ,Colonia, Alemania, Kunst-Welten im Dialog
Art-Worlds in Dialogue. Cat. expo.
Museo de Arte de Tel Aviv, Israel, Hiriya in the Museum: Artists and
Architects Proposals for Rehabilitation of the Site. Cat. expo.
Kunstmuseum Bonn, Alemania, Zeitwenden. Cat. expo. La muestra
viaj al Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wein.
2000
Museo de Arte de Taiwn, Taichung, Gratitude, evento y exposicin
de un da.
Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas, Outbound: Passages
from the 90s. Cat. expo.
Whitney Museum of American Art, Nueva York, 2000 Biennial
Exhibition. Cat. expo.
86
The Quiet in the Land: Everyday Life, Contemporary Art and Project
Ax, Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia, Salvador da Bahia. Exh.
cat.
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2000, Tsunan Mountain Park, Niigata
Prefecture. Exh. cat.
Lustwarande/Pleasure-Garden, De Oude Warandepark, Tilburg
(organized by Fundament Foundation, Tilburg).
Media City Seoul 2000, Seoul Metropolitan Museum of Art. Exh. cat.
Open Ends: MoMA 2000, Museum of Modern Art, New York. Exh.
cat.
Shanghai Biennale 2000: Shanghai Spirit, Shanghai Art Museum.
Exh. cat.
2001
The Gift: Generous Offerings, Threatening Hospitality, Palazzo delle
Papesse, Centro Arte Contemporanea, Siena (coproduced by Centro
Culturale Candiani, Venice. Traveling Exhibition organized with
Independent Curators International, New York). Exh. cat. Traveled
to Centro Culturale Candiani, Venice; Scottsdale Museum of
Contemporary Art, Arizona; Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York;
Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University,
Evanston, Illinois; Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario.
Sonsbeek 9: LocusFocus, Sonsbeek Park, Arnhem. Exh. cat.
Form Follows Fiction, Castello di Rivoli Museo dArte Contempora-
nea, Turin. Exh. cat.
Plateau of Humankind, 49th Venice Biennale, Giardini di Castello,
Arsenale, Venice. Exh. cat.
Yokohama 2001, International Triennale of Contemporary Art: Mega
Wave: Towards a New Synthesis, various sites in Yokohama. Exh.
cat.
Exhibition of the Projects for Arte allArte 6, Associazione Arte
Continua, San Gimignano, Part of Arte allArte 6.
Arte allArte 6, various sites in Tuscany (organized by Associazione
Arte Continua). Exh. cat.
2002
Painting without Painting, Museum der bildende Knste Leipzig.
Exh. cat.
Art that Heals, Apexart, New York.
87
EV+A 2002: Heroes + Holies, various sites in Limerick (organized
by Limerick City Gallery of Art). Exh. cat.
Magnete: artisti stranieri in Toscana 19452000 (Magnet: Foreign
Artists in Tuscany 19452000), Fattoria di Celle, Santomato,
Pistoia, Tuscany, (organized by Sistema Metropolitano dArte
Contemporanea, Tuscany).
Red Continent: Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Gwangju Art
Museum, South Korea. Exh. cat.
The Power of Art: The 2nd Inaugural Show of the Prefectural
Museum of Art, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Kobe.
Tokachi International Contemporary Art Exhibition: Demeter,
Obihiro Racetrack and Nishimaki Park, Obihiro, Hokkaido
(organized by P3 art and environment, Tokyo). Exh. cat.
The Galleries Show, Royal Academy of Arts, London.
3e Biennale de Montral, Cit Multimdia dans le Vieux-Montral. Monument Art Museum, Beijing. Traveled to University at Buffalo
The First Guangzhou Triennial. Reinterpretation: A Decade of
Experimental Chinese Art, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou.
Ce Qui Arrive (Unknown Quantity), Fondation Cartier pour lart
contemporain, Paris. Exh. cat.
2003
Tate & Egg Live 2003, Tate Modern and Tate Britain, London,
Jan.Sept.
Pulse, Art, Healing, and Transformation, Institute of Contemporary
Art, Boston. Exh. cat.
Somewhere Better Than This Place, Contemporary Arts Center,
Cincinnati.
Alors, la Chine?, Centre national dart et de culture Georges
Pompidou, Paris. Exh. cat.
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2003, Tsunan Mountain Park, Niigata
Prefecture. Exh. cat.
The Heroic Century: The Museum of Modern Arts Masterpieces, 200
Paintings and Sculptures, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Exh. cat.
2004
The Snow Show: Harvested Ice, Rovaniemi, Lapland. Exh. cat.
All Under Heaven, Museum of Contemporary Art of Antwerp,
(co-organized by the Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation). Exh. cat.
26th Bienal de So Paulo: Free Territory, Pavilho Ciccillo
Matarazzo, Parque do Ibirapuera, So Paulo.
Past in Reverse: Contemporary Art of East Asia, San Diego Museum
of Art.
2005
Dreaming Now, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham,
Mass. Exh. cat.
Universal Experience: Art, Life, and the Tourists Eye, Museum of
Contemporary Art, Chicago. Exh. cat.
Trading Place: Contemporary Art Museum, Museum of Contempo-
rary Art Taipei. Exh. cat.
(my private) Heroes, MARTa Herford, Herford, Germany. Exh. cat.
Translation, Palais de Tokyo, Paris.
The Wall: Reshaping Contemporary Chinese Art, Millennium
Art Galleries.
Arte allArte 10, various sites in Tuscany (organized by Associazi-
one Arte Continua). Exh. cat.
Can Buildings Curate, Storefront for Art and Architecture, New
York.
The Kennedy Center Festival of China, John F. Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C.
Quantum Grids, Sert Gallery, Carpenter Center for the Arts, and
Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge.
2006
Min Tai Yuan Museum Collection (Inaugural Exhibition), Min Tai
Yuan Museum, Quanzhou.
Opening Exhibition: Eldorado, Muse dArt Moderne Grand-Duc
Jean, Luxembourg. Exh. cat.
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2006, Tsunan Mountain Park, Niigata
Prefecture.
Out of Time: A Contemporary View, Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Shu: Reinventing Books in Contemporary Chinese Art, China
Institute Gallery, New York. Exh. cat. Traveled to Seattle Asian Art
Museum.
Searching for Dreams in the Canals, Suzhou Museum.
Museo de Arte Asitico de Fukuoka, Japn, Pioneers of Chnese
Contemporary Art.
S.M.A.K. Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Gante, Blgica, Over
the Edges. Cat. expo.
Galera de Arte de Nueva Gales del Sur, Sidney, Biennale of Sydney
2000. Cat. expo.
Koldo Mitxelena Kulturunea Erakustaretoa, Donostia-San
Sebastin, Erresistentziak / Resistencias (Acts of Resistance). Cat.
expo.
Art Basel, Basilea, Suiza, Art Unlimited, Art 31 Basel. Cat. expo.
Acadmie de France Rome, Villa Mdicis, Roma, La Ville, le
Jardin, la Mmoire: Le Jardin. Cat. expo.
Varias sedes en Nordhorn, Alemania, y Zwolle, Pases Bajos
exposicin organizada por Stdtische Galerie Nordhorn,
Kunstwegen, proyecto artstico pblico. Cat. expo.
Muse dArt Contemporain de Lyon, Francia, Partage dexotismes
en la V Bienal dart contemporain. Cat. expo.
Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia, Salvador de Baha, Brasil, A
Quietude da Terra, Vida Cotidiana, Arte Contempornea e Projeto
Ax. Cat. expo.
Parque del monte Tsunan, Prefectura de Niigata, Japn,
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2000. Cat. expo.
De Oude Warandepark, Tilburgo, Pases Bajos exposicin
organizada por la Fundacin Fundament, Tilburgo, Lustwarande/
Pleasure-Garden .
Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Sel, Media City Seoul 2000. Cat. expo.
Museum of Modern Art, Nueva York, Open Ends: MoMA 2000. Cat. expo.
Museo de Arte de Shanghai, Shanghai Biennial 2000: Shanghai
Spirit. Cat. expo.
2001
Palazzo delle Papesse, Centro Arte Contempornea, Siena, Italia
exposicin coproducida por el Centro Cultural Candiani, Venecia,
Italia. Exposicin itinerante organizada con el Independent
Curators International, Nueva York, The Gift: Generous Offerings,
Threatening Hospitality. Cat. expo. Viaj al Centro Cultrale
Candiani, Venecia; al Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art,
Arizona; al Bronx Museum of the Arts, Nueva York; al Mary and
Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Evanston,
Illinois; y a la Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario.
Sonsbeek Park, Arnhem, Pases Bajos, Sonsbeek 9: LocusFocus.
Cat. expo.
Castello di Rivoli Museo dArte Contemporanea, Turn, Italia, Form
Follows Fiction / Forma e fizione nellarte di oggi. Cat. expo.
Giardini di Castello, Arsenale, Venecia, Plateau of Humankind en la
49 Bienal de Venecia. Cat. expo.
Varias sedes en Yokohama, Japn, Yokohama 2001, Yokohama
2001, International Triennale of Contemporary Art: Mega Wave:
Towards a New Synthesis. Cat. expo.
Associazione Arte Continua, San Gimignano, Italia, Exposicin de
los proyectos de Arte allArte 6, parte de Arte allArte 6.
Varias sedes en la Toscana, Italia exposicin organizada por la
Associazione Arte Continua, Arte allArte 6. Cat. expo.
2002
Museum der bildenden Knste Leipzig, Alemania, Malerei ohne
Malerei Painting without Painting. Cat. expo.
Apexart, Nueva York, Art that Heals.
Varias sedes en Limerick, Irlanda exposicin organizada por la
Limerick City Gallery of Art, EV + A 2002: Hroes + Holies. Cat. expo.
Fattoria di Celle, Santomato, Pistoia, Toscana exposicin
organizada por el Sistema Metropolitano dArte Contempornea,
Toscana, Magnete: artista stranieri in Toscana 1945-2000.
Museo de Arte de Gwangju, Corea del Sur, Red Continent: Chinese
Contemporary Art Exhibition. Cat. expo.
Museo de Arte de la Prefectura de Hyogo, Kobe, Japn, The Power of
Art: The 2nd Inaugural Show of the Prefectural Museum of Art.
Obihiro Racetrack y Parque Nishimaki, Obihiro. Prefectura de
Hokkaido, Japn exposicin organizada por P3 art and
environment,Tokio. Tokachi International Contemporary Art
Exhibition: Demeter. Cat. expo.
Royal Academy of Arts, Londres, The Galleries Show.
Cit Multimdia dans le Vieux-Montral, Canad, 3e Biennale de
Montral.
Museo de Arte de Guangdong, Guangzhou, China, The First Guangzhou
Triennial: Reinterpretation: A Decade of Experimental Chinese Art.
Fondation Cartier pour lart contemporain, Pars, Ce Qui Arrive
(Unknown Quantity). Cat. expo.
2003
Tate Modern y Tate Britain, Londres, Tate & Egg Live 2003.
Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusetts, Pulse, Art,
Healing, and Transformation. Cat. expo.
Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, Somewhere Better
Than This Place. Centre national dart et de culture Georges
Pompidou, Pars, Alors, la Chine. Cat. expo.
Parque del monte Tsunan, Prefectura de Niigata, Japn,
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2003. Cat. expo.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, The Heroic Century: The
Museum of Modern Arts Masterpieces, 200 Paintings and
Sculptures. Cat. expo.
2004
Rovaniemi, Laponia, The Snow Show: Harvested Ice. Cat. expo.
Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen, Amberes, Blgica
exposicin coorganizada por la Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation,
All Under Heaven. Cat. expo.
Pavilho Ciccillo Matarazzo, Parque do Ibirapuera, So Paulo,
Brasil, 26th Bienal de So Paulo: Free Territory.
San Diego Museum of Art, Past in Reverse: Contemporary Art of
East Asia.
2005
The Rose Art Museum of Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachu-
setts, Dreaming Now. Cat. expo.
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois, Universal
Experience: Art, Ufe, and The Tourists Eye. Cat. expo.
Museo de Arte Contemporneo de Taipei, Trading Place:
Contemporary Art Museum. Cat. expo.
MARTa Herford, Herford, Alemania, (my private), Heroes. Cat. expo.
Palais de Tokyo, Pars, Translation.
Museo de Arte Mundial del Monumento al Milenio, Beijing, The
Wall: Reshaping Contemporary Chinese Art. Viaj a la Galera de
Arte de la Universidad de Bfalo, Nueva York.
Varias sedes en la Toscana, Italia exposicin organizada por la
Associazione Arte Continua, Arte allArte 10. Cat. expo.
88
2007
Journeys: Mapping the Earth and Mind in Chinese Art, Metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York.
Of Nature and Friendship: Modern Chinese Paintings from the
Khoan and Michael Sullivan Collection. Seattle Asian Art Museum,
Seattle.
6 Billion Perps Held Hostage! Artists Address Global Warming,
Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh.
Artempo: Where Time Becomes Art, Palazzo Fortuny, Venice. Exh.
cat.
2008
Martian Museum of Terrestrial Art, Barbican Gallery, London.
Blood on Paper: The Art of the Book, Victoria and Albert Museum,
London.
God & Goods: Spirituality and Mass Confusion, Villa Manin Centro
dArte Contemporanea, Cordoipo.
Shu: Reinventing Books in Contemporary Chinese Art, Honolulu
Academy of Arts (organized in collaboration with the China
Institute Gallery, New York).
New Ink Art: Innovation and Beyond. Hong Kong Art: Open Dialogue
Exhibition Series II, Hong Kong Museum of Art. Exh. cat.
Academia. Qui es-tu?, La Chapelle de lEcole Nationale des
Beaux-Arts, Paris. Exh. cat.
Prospect.1 New Orleans, various sites, New Orleans. Exh. cat.
2009
Meeting Point, 10th Havana Biennial.
Stages, Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris, (organized by Artstrong
Foundation). Traveled to 69th Regiment Armory, New York; Deitch
Projects, New York; Art Basel Miami Beach. Exh. cat.
The 4th Fukuoka Asian Art Triennial.
Bike Rides, Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art.
The Sky within My House: Contemporary Art in 16 Patios of
Cordoba, Municipal Archive of Cordoba (organized by
Cordoba City of Culture Foundation).
2010
The Beauty of Distance: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age,
17th Biennale of Sydney. Exh. cat.
89
Post Monument, XIV International Sculpture Biennale of Carrara.
Arts and Cities, Aichi Triennial, Nagoya. Exh. cat.
Berliner Bilder, Koidl Kunsthalle, Berlin (organized by Berliner Bank
and Deutsche Bank).
Collectors Choice / Collectors Voice, Asian Art Museum, San
Francisco.
EXPLOSION EVENTS AND OTHER EPHEMERAL PROJECTS
1989
Human Abode: Project for Extraterrestrials No.1, Fussa Minami
Park and Kumagawa Shrine, Tokyo, realized, commissioned by 89
Tama River Fussa Outdoor Art Exhibition (see group exhibitions).
1990
45.5 Meteorite Craters Made by Humans on Their 45.5 Hundred
Million Year Old Planet: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 3,
Pourrires, Aix-en-Provence, commissioned by Les Domaines de
lart for the exhibition Chine demain pour hier (see group
exhibitions).
I Am an Extraterrestrial: Project for Meeting with Tenjin (Heavenly
Gods): Project for Extraterrestrials No. 4, Nagahama Port, Fukuoka,
commissioned by Museum City Tenjin, Fukuoka, for the exhibition
Museum City Tenjin 90: Circulation of Sensibility: Visual City,
Functioning Art (see group exhibitions).
Fetus Movement: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 5, Palace Plaza,
Olive Mountain, Ushimado, Okayama, commissioned by Japan
Ushimado International Art Festival for The 7th Japan Ushimado
International Art Festival (see group exhibitions).
1991
The Immensity of Heaven and Earth: Project for Extraterrestrials
No. 11, Kashii former train yard, Fukuoka, commissioned by
Museum City Project, Fukuoka, for Exceptional Passage: Chinese
Avant-Garde Artists Exhibition (see group exhibitions).
1992
Fetus Movement II: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 9, Bundeswehr-
Wasserbungsplatz military base, Hannover-Mnden, commis-
sioned by the Kassel International Art Exhibition for Encountering
the Others: The Kassel International Art Exhibition. Artist Book (see
group exhibitions).
1993
Project to Extend the Great Wall of China by 10,000 Meters: Project
for Extraterrestrials No. 10, Gobi Desert, Jiayuguan, Gansu
Province, commissioned by P3 art and environment, Tokyo. Artist
Book.
The Oxford Comet: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 17, Angel
Meadow Park, Oxford, commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art
Oxford (now Modern Art Oxford) for the exhibition Silent Energy (see
group exhibitions).
Buried Civilization: Field Firings, Sun Plaza and Spring Square,
Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, commissioned by the Shigaraki
Ceramic Cultural Park for Outdoor Workshop 93 (see group
exhibitions).
1994
The Horizon from the Pan-Pacific: Project for Extraterrestrials No.
14, Pacific Ocean, Offshore from Numanouchi to Yotsukura Beach,
Iwaki, commissioned by Iwaki City Art Museum for the exhibition
Cai Guo-Qiang: From the Pan-Pacific (see solo exhibitions).
Project for Heiankyo 1,200th Anniversary: Celebration from
Changan, Kyoto City Hall, commissioned by the city of Kyoto for
the exhibition Making New Kyoto 94 (see group exhibitions).
The Earth Has Its Black Hole Too:Project for Extraterrestrials No.
16, Hiroshima Central Park near the A-Bomb Dome, Hiroshima,
commissioned by Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art for
the exhibition Creativity in Asian Art Now (see group exhibitions).
Myth: Shooting the Suns: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 21,
Nationale Park De Hoge Veluwe, Otterlo, commissioned by the
Krller-Mller Museum, Otterlo for the exhibition Heart of Darkness
(see group exhibitions).
1995
Restrained Violence: Rainbow: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 25,
Tribune Hall, Johannesburg Power Station, commissioned by the
Johannesburg Biennale for The Ever-Changing, Drifting Heat:
The First Johannesburg Biennale (see group exhibitions).
Storefront for Art and Architecture, Nueva York, Can Buildings
Curate.
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C.,
The Kennedy Center Festival of China.
Sert Gallery, Carpenter Center for the Arts y Harvard University Art
Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Quantum Grids.
2006
Museo Min Tai Yuan, Quanzhou, China, Min Tai Yuan Museum
Collection Inaugural Exhibition.
Muse dArt Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxemburgo, Eldorado:
lexposition douverture. Cat. expo.
Parque del monte Tsunan, Prefectura de Niigata, Japn,
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2006.
Museum of Modern Art, Nueva York, Out of Time: A Contemporary View.
China Institute Gallery, Nueva York, Shu: Reinventing Books in
Contemporary Chinese Art. Cat. expo. La muestra viaj al Seattle
Asian Art Museum; Honolul Academy of Arts.
Museo de Suzhou, Provincia de Jiangsu, China, Searching for
Dreams in the Canals.
2007
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nueva York, Journeys: Mapping the
Earth and Mind in Chinese Art.
Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, Pensilvania, 6 Billion Perps Held
Hostage! Artists Address Global Warming.
Palazzo Fortuny, Venecia, Italia, Artempo: Where Time Becomes Art.
Cat. expo.
2008
Barbican Centre, Londres, Martian Museum of Extraterrestrial Art,
Barbican Art Gallery. Cat. expo. The Victoria and Albert Museum,
Londres, Blood on Paper: The Art of the Book. Cat. expo.
Villa Manin Centro dArte Contempornea, God & Goods:
Spirituality and Mass Confusion, Codroipo, Italia, 128 de . Cat.
expo.
La Chapelle de lEcole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Pars, Academia.
Qui es-tu?. Cat. expo.
Varias sedes, Nueva Orleans, Prospect. l New Orleans. Cat. expo.
2009
10a Bienal de la Habana, Meeting Point.
Emmanuel Perrotin, Pars, (organizada por la Artstrong Founda-
tion), Stages. Viaj al 69th Regiment Armory, Nueva York; Deitch
Projects, Nueva York; Art Basel Miami Beach. Cat. expo.
4th Fukuoka Asian Art Triennial.
Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Bike Rides.
Archivo Municipal de Crdoba (organizado por la Fundacin
Cultural de la Ciudad de Crdoba).The Sky within My House:
Contemporary Art in 16 Patios of Cordoba.
2010
17 Bienal de Sydney, The Beauty of Distance: Songs of Survival in
a Precarious Age Cat. expo.
XIV Bienal Internacional de Escultura de Carrara, Post Monument.
Aichi Trienal, Nagoya, Arts and Cities. Cat. expo.
Koidl Kunsthalle, Berln (organizada por Berliner Bank and
Deutsche Bank), Berliner Bilder.
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, Collectors Choice / Collectors
Voice.
PROYECTOS DE EXPLOSIN Y OTROS PROYECTOS EFMEROS
1989
Parque Fussa Minami y Templo Kumagawa, Fussa, Tokio, Human
Abode: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 1 ; encargo de la 89
Exposicin de arte al aire libre del ro Tama en Fussa (vase
exposiciones colectivas).
1990
Pourrires,, Aix-en-Provence, Francia, 45.5 Meteorite Craters Made
by Humans on Their 45.5 Hundred Million Year Old Planet: Project
for Extraterrestrials No. 3; encargo de Les Domaines de lart para
la exposicin Chine demain pour hier, (vase exposiciones Parque cultural de cermica de Shigaraki para Outdoor Workshop
colectivas).
Puerto de Nagahama, Fukuoka, Japn. I Am an Extraterrestrial:
Project for Meeting with Tenjin (Heavenly Gods): Project for
Extraterrestrials No. 4; encargo de Ciudad Museo Tenjin, Fukuoka,
Japn, para la exposicin Museum City Tenjin 90: Circulation of
Sensibility: Visual City, Functioning Art (vase exposiciones
colectivas).
Plaza del Palacio, Monte de los olivos, Ushimado, Okayama, Japn,
Fetus Movement: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 5; encargo del
Festival Internacional de Arte de Ushimado, Japn, para el for The
7th Japan Ushimado International Art Festival, Japn (vase
exposiciones colectivas).
1991
Antigua estacin de ferrocarril de Kashii, Fukuoka, Japn, The
Immensity of Heaven and Earth: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 11,
encargo del Proyecto Ciudad Museo, Fukuoka, para Exceptional
Passage: Chinese Avant-Garde Artists Exhibition (vase
exposiciones colectivas).
1992
Base militar Bundeswehr-Wasserbungsplatz, Hanover-Mnden,
Alemania, Fetus Movement II: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 9;
encargo de la Exposicin de arte internacional de Kassel,
Alemania, para Begegnung mit den Andpren Encountering the
Others. Libro de artista (vase exposiciones colectivas).
1993
Desierto de Gobi, Jiayuguan, Provincia de Gansu, China, Project to
Extend the Great Wall of China by 10,000 Meters: Project for
Extraterrestrials No. 10; encargo de P3 art and environment, Tokio.
Libro de artista.
Parque ngel Meadow, Oxford, Reino Unido, The Oxford Comet:
Project for Extraterrestrials No. 17; encargo del Museum of Modern
Art Oxford ahora Modern Art Oxford para la exposicin Silent Energy
(vase exposiciones colectivas).
Sun Plaza y Spring Square, Parque cultural de cermica de
Shigaraki, Japn Buried Civilization: Field Firings; encargo del
93 (vase exposiciones colectivas).
1994
Ocano Pacfico, frente a la costa entre Numanouchi y la playa de
Yotsukura, Iwaki, Japn, The Horizon from the Pan-Pacific: Project
for Extraterrestrials No. 14; encargo del Museo de Arte de la
90
91
Ciudad de Iwaki para la exposicin Cai Guo-Qiang: From the
Pan-Pacific (vase exposiciones individuales).
Ayuntamiento de Kioto, Japn, Project for Heiankyo 1,200th
Anniversary: Celebration from Changan ; encargo de la ciudad de
Kioto para la exposicin Making New Kyoto 94 (vase exposiciones Wounds: Between Democracy and Redemption in Contemporary Art
colectivas).
Parque Central de Hiroshima, cerca de la Cpula de la Bomba
Atmica, Hiroshima, Japn, The Earth Has Its Black Hole Too:
Project for Extraterrestrials No. 16; encargo del Museo de Arte
Contemporneo de la Ciudad de Hiroshima para la exposicin
Creativity in Asian Art Now (vase exposiciones colectivas).
Nationale Park De Hoge Veluwe, Otterlo, Pases Bajos, Myth:
Shooting the Suns: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 21; encargo del
Krller-Mller Museum, Otterlo, Pases Bajos, para la exposicin Fondation Cartier pour lart contemporain, Pars, Dragon: Explosion
Heart of Darkness (vase exposiciones colectivas).
1995
Tribune Hall, central elctrica de Johannesburgo, Sudfrica,
Restrained Violence: Rainbow: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 25;
encargo de la Johannesburg Biennale para The Ever- Changing,
Drifting Heat (vase exposiciones colectivas).
1996
Varias sedes en Estados Unidos: emplazamiento de pruebas
nucleares de Nevada; Mormon Mesa, Overton, Nevada; Gran Lago
Salado, Utah; y Nueva York, The Century with Mushroom Clouds:
Project for the 20th Century.
Almacn, Museum Van Hedendaagse Kunst Gent en la actualidad
S.M.A.K. [Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst], Gante, Blgica,
Dragon Skeleton/Suture of the Wall: True Collection; encargo del
Museum Van Hedendaagse Kunst Gent.
1997
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Dinamarca, Flying
Dragon in the Heavens: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 29; encargo
del Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, para la
exposicin Cai Guo-Qiang: Flying Dragon in the Heavens (vase
exposiciones individuales).
1998
Baha Ladugardsland, Estocolmo, entre el Moderna Museet y el
Vasa Museet, Parting of the Sea: Project for Extraterrestrial No. 30;
encargo del Moderna Museet, Estocolmo, para la exposicin
(vase exposiciones colectivas).
Museo de Bellas Artes de Taipei, Golden Missile; encargo del Museo
de Bellas Artes de Taipei para Site of Desire en la Bienal de Taipei
1998 (vase exposiciones colectivas).
Museo de Arte de la Provincia de Taiwan ahora Museo Nacional de
Bellas Artes de Taiwan, Taichung, No Destruction, No Construction:
Bombing the Taiwan Province Museum of Art; encargo del Museo
de Arte de la Provincia de Taiwan. Libro.
on Pleats Please Issey Miyake; encargo de la Fondation Cartier
pourlart contemporain para la exposicin Issey Miyake Making
Things (vase exposiciones colectivas).
1999
S.M.A.K. Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Gante, Blgica,
Firecrackers for the Opening of S.M.A.K.; encargo del S.M.A.K. para
los actos inaugurales y la exposicin De Opening (vase
exposiciones colectivas).
Casa de Cultura, Projeto Ax Social, Salvador de Baha, Brasil,
Salute, dos proyectos de explosin en colaboracin con un grupo de
nios de Baxand; encargo de The Quiet in the Land y del Museu
de Arte
Moderna da Bahia para el programa de residencia artstica y la
exposicin The Quiet in the Land: Everyday Life, Contemporary Art
and Project Ax (vase exposiciones colectivas).
Kunsthalle Wen, Viena, La vista del dragn sobre Viena: Proyecto
para extraterrestres n. 32, encargo de la Kunsthalle Wien para la
exposicin Cai Guo-Qiang: I am the Y2K Bug (vase exposiciones
individuales).
2000
Acadmie de France Rome, Villa Mdicis, Roma, Till by Blade,
Sow by Fire; encargo de la Acadmie de France Rome para la
exposicin La Ville, le Jardin, la Mmoire: Le Jardin (vase
exposiciones colectivas).
De Oude Warandepark, Tilburgo, Pases Bajos, Fountain; encargo
de la Fundament Foundation, Tilburgo, para la exposicin
Lustwarande/Pleasure-Garden (vase exposiciones colectivas).
69th Regiment Armory, Nueva York, Ascending a Staircase; encargo
de NHK canal estatal de televisin de Japn.
2001
Sonsbeek Park, Arnhem, Pases Bajos, Picturesque Painteresque;
encargo de Sonsbeek para Sonsbeek 9: LocusFocus (vase
exposiciones colectivas).
El Bund, ro Huangpu y Torre de la Oriental Pearl TV, Shanghai,
China, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Cityscape Fireworks;
encargo de la Cooperacin Econmica del Asia-Pacfico para la
ceremonia de clausura el Congreso CEAP 2001 .
2002
Biblioteca Zhajiang, Hangzhou, China, Spider Web; encargo para
la inauguracin del 2002 M Meeting. Ro Shannon, en el Castillo
del Rey Juan, Limerick, Irlanda, Contracorriente; encargo de la
Limerick City Gallery of Art para la exposicin EV + A 2002: Hroes
+ Holies (vase exposiciones colectivas).
East River, de Manhattan a Queens, Nueva York, Transient
Rainbow; encargo del Museum of Modern Art, Nueva York, para la
inauguracin del Museum of Modern Art en Queens.
Puerto de Hyogo, Kobe, Blue Dragon; encargo del Museo de Arte de
la Prefectura de Hyogo, Kobe para The Power of Art: The 2nd
Inaugural Show of the Prefectural Museum of Art (vase
exposiciones colectivas). Lo intent primero sin xito en Brisbane
en 1999 [encargo de la Queensland Art Gallery para The Future:
The Tirad Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (vase
exposiciones colectivas).
Cementerio de Trento, Italia, Ethereal Flowers; encargo de la
Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea, Trento, para la exposicin
Cai Guo-Qiang: Ethereal Flowers (vase exposiciones individuales).
Royal Academy of Arts, Londres, Red de dinero; encargo de la Royal
Academy of Arts para la exposicin The Galleries Show (vase
exposiciones colectivas).
92
1996
The Century with Mushroom Clouds: Project for the 20th Century,
various sites in the United States: Nevada Test Site; Mormon Mesa,
Overton, Nevada; the Great Salt Lake, Utah; and New York City.
Dragon Skeleton/Suture of the Wall: True Collection, storage area,
Museum Van Hedendaagse Kunst Gent (now S.M.A.K. [Stedelijk
Museum voor Actuele Kunst]), Ghent, commissioned by Museum
Van Hedendaagse Kunst Gent.
1997
Flying Dragon in the Heavens: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 29,
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark,
commissioned by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek
for the exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang: Flying Dragon in the Heavens
(see solo exhibitions).
1998
Parting of the Sea: Project for Extraterrestrial No. 30, Ladugard-
sland bay, Stockholm, between Museum of Modern Art and Vasa
Museum, commissioned by Moderna Museet, Stockholm, for the
exhibition Wounds: Between Democracy and Redemption in
Contemporary Art (see group exhibitions).
Golden Missile, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, commissioned by Taipei
Fine Arts Museum for Site of Desire: 1998 Taipei Biennial (see
group exhibitions).
No Destruction, No Construction: Bombing the Taiwan Province
Museum of Art, Taiwan Province Museum of Art (now National
Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts), Taichung, commissioned by Taiwan
Province Museum of Art. Book.
Dragon: Explosion on Pleats Please Issey Miyake, Fondation Cartier
pour lart contemporain, Paris, commissioned by Fondation Cartier
pour lart contemporain for the exhibition Issey Miyake Making
Things (see group exhibitions).
1999
Firecrackers for the Opening of S.M.A.K., S.M.A.K. (Stedelijk
Museum voor Actuele Kunst), Ghent, realized May 8, commissioned
by S.M.A.K. for the opening events and exhibition De Opening (see
group exhibitions).
93
Salute, Casa de Cultura, Projeto Ax Social, Salvador da Bahia, two
explosion events in collaboration with children from Bandax,
commissioned by The Quiet in the Land and the Museu de Arte
Moderna da Bahia for the artist residence and exhibition The Quiet
in the Land: Everyday Life, Contemporary Art and Project Ax (see
group exhibitions).
Dragon Sight Sees Vienna: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 32,
Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, commissioned by Kunsthalle Wien for Cai
Guo-Qiang: I am the Y2K Bug (see solo exhibitions)
2000
Till by Blade, Sow by Fire, Acadmie de France Rome, Villa
Mdicis, Rome, commissioned by Acadmie de
France Rome for the exhibition La Ville, le Jardin, la Mmoire: Le
Jardin (see group exhibitions).
Fountain, De Oude Warandepark, Tilburg, commissioned by
Fundament Foundation, Tilburg for the exhibition Lustwarande/
Pleasure-Garden (see group exhibitions).
Ascending a Staircase, 69th Regiment Armory, New York,
commissioned by NHK: Japan Broadcasting Corporation.
2001
Picturesque Painteresque, Sonsbeek Park, Arnhem, commissioned
by Sonsbeek for Sonsbeek 9: LocusFocus (see
group exhibitions).
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Cityscape Fireworks, The Bund,
Huangpu River, and Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai, commis-
sioned by Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation for the closing
ceremonies of the 2001 APEC Conference.
2002
Spider Web, Zhejiang Library, Hangzhou, commissioned for the
opening of the 2002 M Meeting.
Against the Current, River Shannon at St. Johns Castle, Limerick,
commissioned by Limerick City Gallery of Art, for the exhibition
EV+A 2002: Heroes + Holies (see group exhibitions).
Transient Rainbow, East River, from Manhattan to Queens, New
York, commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art, New York, for
the opening of the Museum of Modern Art, Queens.
Blue Dragon, Hyogo Harbor, Kobe, commissioned by the Hyogo
Prefectural Museum of Art, Kobe for The Power of Art: The 2nd
Inaugural Show of the Prefectural Museum of Art (see group
exhibitions). First attempted unsuccessfully in Brisbane in 1999,
commissioned by Queensland Art Gallery for The Future: The Third
Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (see group exhibitions).
Skybound UFO and Shrine, Obihiro Racetrack, Obihiro, Hokkaido,
commissioned by P3 art and environment for Tokachi International
Contemporary Art Exhibition: Demeter (see group exhibitions).
Ethereal Flowers, Trento Cemetery, commissioned by Galleria Civica
di Arte Contemporanea, Trento for the exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang:
Ethereal Flowers (see solo exhibitions).
Money Net, Royal Academy of Arts, London, commissioned by the
Royal Academy of Arts for the exhibition The Galleries Show (see
group exhibitions).
2003
Ye Gong Hao Long (Mr.Ye Who Loves Dragons): Explosion Project
for Tate Modern, Millenium Bridge and Tate Modern, London,
commissioned by Tate Gallery as part of Tate & Egg Live 2003
(see group exhibitions).
Inheritance: Exploding Jan Hoets Portrait, S.M.A.K. (Stedelijk
Museum voor Actuele Kunst), Ghent, commissioned by S.M.A.K.
for the exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang: An Arbitrary History (see solo
exhibitions).
Light Cycle: Explosion Project for Central Park, Central Park, New
York, commissioned by Creative Time in conjunction with the City
of New York and the Central Park Conservancy for the 150th
anniversary of the creation of Central Park.
Man, Eagle, and Eye in the Sky, Siwa Oasis, Egypt, commissioned
by Siwa Art Project, Egypt. Book.
2004
Caressing Zaha with Vodka, Rovaniemi, Lapland, commissioned by
The Snow Show for the exhibition The Snow Show: Harvested Ice
(see group exhibitions).
Painting Chinese Landscape Painting, Marine Corps Air Station,
San Diego, commissioned by the San Diego Museum of Art for the
2003
Puente del Milenio y Tate Modern, Londres, Ye Gong Hao Long (Mr.
Ye Who Loves Dragons): Explosion Project for Tate Modern; encargo
de la Tate Gallery como parte de Tate & Egg Live 2003 (vase
exposiciones colectivas).
S.M.A.K. Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Gante, Blgica,
Inheritance: Exploding Jan Hoets Portrait; encargo del S.M.A.K.
para la exposicin Light Cycle: Explosion Project for Central Park
(vase exposiciones individuales).
Central Park, Nueva York, Light Cycle: Explosion Project for Central
Park; encargo de Creative Time junto con el Central Park
Conservancy para el 150 aniversario de la creacin del parque.
Oasis Siwa, Egipto, Man, Eagle, and Eye in the Sky; encargo del
Siwa Art Project, Egipto. Libro.
2004
Rovaniemi, Laponia, Caressing Zaha with Vodka; encargo de The
Snow Show para la exposicin The Snow Show: Harvested Ice
(vase exposiciones colectivas).
Base area de la Marina, San Diego, Painting Chinese Landscape
Painting; encargo del San Diego Museum of Art para 2004 Miramar
Air Show junto con la exposicin Past in Reverse (vase
exposiciones colectivas).
Lincoln Center, Nueva York, Red Star, Flying Saucer; encargo para
Asian Cultural Council 40 Years.
2005
Goebenstrasse, frente a MARTa Herford, Alemania, Auto-Destruct;
encargo de MARTa Herford para la exposicn (my private) Heroes
(vase exposiciones colectivas).
Ribera del ro Turia, entre el Puente del Real y el Puente de la
Trinidad, Valencia, Black Rainbow: Explosion Project for Valencia;
encargo del Institut Valencia dArt Modern, Valencia, para la
exposicin Cai Guo-Qiang: On Black Fireworks (vase exposiciones
individuales).
Galera Nacional de Arte Zacheta, Varsovia, Red Flag; encargo de
la Galera Nacional de Arte Zacheta para la exposicin Cai
Guo-Qiang: Paradise (vase exposiciones individuales).
Castillo de Edimburgo, Reino Unido, Black Rainbow: Explosion
Project for Edinburgh; encargo de la Fruitmarket Gallery,
Edimburgo, para la exposicin Cai Guo-Qiang: Life Beneath the
Shadow (vase exposiciones individuales).
Ro Potomac, Washington, D.C., Tornado: Explosion Project for the
Festival of China; encargo del John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts para The Kennedy Center Festival of China.
2006
Mckernstrasse/Stresemannstrasse, Berln, Illusion II: Explosion
Project; encargo del Deutsche Guggenheim, Berln, para la
exposicin Cai Guo-Qiang: Head On (vase exposiciones
individuales).
Azotea ajardinada Iris y B. Gerald Cantor, Metropolitan Museum of
Art, Nueva York, Clear Sky Black Cloud; encargo del Museum of
Metropolitan Art para la exposicin Cai Guo-Qiang on the Roof:
Transparent Monument (vase exposiciones individuales).
Museo Suzhou, China, Exploding Tower; encargo del Museo Suzhou
para la exposicin inaugural titulada Searching for Dreams in the
Canals (vase exposiciones colectivas).
Taiwan, Wind Shadow, estreno en el Teatro Nacional de Taipei.
Otras sedes hasta la fecha; Centro Cultural de Kaohsiung y en el
Centro de Artes Escnicas de Chiayi, Taiwn; colaboracin con el
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre de Taiwn.
2008
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Nueva York, Images from Wind
Shadow, en colaboracin con el Cloud Gate Dance Theatre de Taiwn,
para Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe (vase exposiciones individuales).
Cpula de la Bomba Atmica, Hiroshima, Black Fireworks, encargo
del Museo de Arte Contemporneo de la Ciudad de Hiroshima para
el The 7th Hiroshima Art Prize: Cai Guo-Qiang (vase exposiciones
individuales).
Wind Shadow, Tanztheater Wuppertal, Dsseldorf, para el Pina Bausch
Festival, en colaboracin con el Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan.
2009
Sketch of a Boat, Francisco de Assisi Square, Habana,10 Biennial
Habana, Meeting Point (vese exposiciones grupales).
Barbican Theatre, London, en colaboracin con el Cloud Gate
Dance Theatre of Taiwan, Wind Shadow.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, for the exhibition
Cai Guo-Qiang: Fallen Blossoms (vase exposiciones individuales).
ARTE PBLICO
Estacin de ferrocarril de Mito, Japn. Lion: Feng Shui Project for
Mito:Chang Sheng, 1994; encargo del Centro de Arte Contempor-
neo, Art Tower Mito para la exposicin Mito Annual 94: Open
System (vase exposiciones colectivas).
Templo Tocho-ji, Tokio, Eighteen Saints, 1998; encargo del Templo
Tocho-ji, Tokio.
Teatro Hakataza, Hakata Riverain, Fukuoka, Japn, Dragon Boat,
1994, realizado en de 1999; encargo de Hakata Riverain, Fukuoka.
Oak Forest, Gramsbergen/Laar, Pases Bajos, Skylight, 1999;
encargo de la Stdtische Galerie Nordhorn, para el proyecto de arte
pblico Kunstwegen (vase exposiciones colectivas).
Sede central de la agencia de publicidad Dents, distrito de
Shiodome, Tokio, Turtle Fountain, 2002; encargo de Dents.
Colinas de Roppongi, Centro de Artes de Mori, Tokio. High Mountain
Flowing Water: 3-D Landscape Painting, 2003; encargo del Centro
de Artes de Mori, Tokio.
Bandai, Prefectura de Niigata, Japn, Lighthouse, 2003; encargo
de la ciudad de Niigata.
Juzgado Penal del Bronx, Nueva York, One Stone, 2007; encargo del
Percent for Art Program Commission de la ciudad de Nueva York.
Massachusets Institute of Technology, Boston, Ringstone, 2010;
encargo del programa de arte pblico del Massachusets Institute
of Technology para el Sloan School of Management
EXPOSICIONES COMISARIADAS POR CAI GUO-QIANG
2001
UMoCA Under Museum of Contemporary Art, Colle di Val dElsa,
Italia, Who Is the Happiest? UMoCA Inaugural Exhibition with Ni
Tsai-Chin for Arte allArte 6 (vase exposiciones colectivas).
94
2004 Miramar Air Show in conjunction with the exhibition Past in
Reverse (see group exhibitions).
Red Star, Flying Saucer, Lincoln Center, New York, commissioned
for Asian Cultural Council 40 Years.
2005
Auto-Destruct, Goebenstrasse, in front of MARTa Herford, Germany,
commissioned by MARTa Herford for the exhibition (my private)
Heroes (see group exhibitions).
Black Rainbow: Explosion Project for Valencia, Old Turia Riverbed
Park between Roal Bridge and Trinidad Bridge, Valencia,
commissioned by Institut Valenci dArt Modern for the exhibition
Cai Guo-Qiang: On Black Fireworks (see solo exhibitions).
Red Flag, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, commissioned
by Zacheta National Gallery of Art for the exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang:
Paradise (see solo exhibitions).
Black Rainbow: Explosion Project for Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle,
commissioned by the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, for the
exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang: Life Beneath the Shadow (see solo
exhibitions).
Tornado: Explosion Project for the Festival of China, Potomac River,
Washington, D.C., commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts for The Kennedy Center Festival of China.
2006
Illusion II: Explosion Project, Mckernstrasse/Stresemannstrasse,
Berlin, commissioned by Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin for the
exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang: Head On (see solo exhibitions).
Clear Sky Black Cloud, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden,
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, commissioned by the
Metropolitan Museum of Art for the exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang on
the Roof: Transparent Monument (see solo exhibitions).
Exploding Tower, Suzhou Museum, commissioned by the Suzhou
Museum for the inaugural exhibition Searching for Dreams in the
Canals (see group exhibitions).
Wind Shadow, premiered at the National Theatre, Taipei.
Subsequent venues to date: Kaohsiung Cultural Center, and Chiayi
Performing Arts, Taiwan, collaboration with Cloud Gate Dance
Theatre of Taiwan.
95
2008
Images from Wind Shadow, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New
York, for the exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe (see solo
exhibitions), collaboration with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan.
Black Fireworks, Motomachi Riverside Park near to the Atomic
Bomb Dome, Hiroshima, commissioned by Hiroshima City Museum
of Contemporary Art for the exhibition The 7th Hiroshima Art Prize:
Cai Guo-Qiang (see solo exhibitions).
Wind Shadow, Tanztheater Wuppertal, Dsseldorf, for the Pina
Bausch Festival, collaboration with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of
Taiwan.
2001
2009
Sketch of a Boat, Francisco de Assisi Square, Havana,10th Havana
Biennial, Meeting Point (see group exhibitions).
Wind Shadow, Barbican Theatre, London, collaboration with Cloud
Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan.
Fallen Blossoms, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, for
the exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang: Fallen Blossoms (see solo
exhibitions).
PUBLIC ART AND SELECT COMMISSIONS
Lion: Feng Shui Project for Mito:Chang Sheng, 1994, Mito Train
Station, commissioned by Art Tower Mito Contemporary Art Center
for the exhibition Mito Annual 94: Open System (see group
exhibitions).
Eighteen Saints, 1998, Tocho-ji Temple, Tokyo, commissioned by
Tocho-ji Temple, Tokyo.
Dragon Boat, 1994, Hakataza Theatre, Hakata Riverain, Fukuoka,
commissioned by Hakata Riverain, Fukuoka.
Skylight, 1999, Oak Forest, Gramsbergen/Laar, Netherlands,
commissioned by Stdtische Galerie Nordhorn, for the public art
project Kunstwegen (see group exhibitions).
Turtle Fountain, 2002, Dentsu Headquarters, Shiodome district,
Tokyo, commissioned by Dentsu.
High Mountain Flowing Water: 3-D Landscape Painting, 2003,
Roppongi Hills, Mori Arts Center, Tokyo, commissioned by Mori Arts
Center, Tokyo.
Lighthouse, 2003, Bandai, Niigata, commissioned by the city of
Niigata.
One Stone, 2007, Bronx Criminal Court, New York, commissioned by
the City of New York: Percent for Art Program Commission, for
building designed by Rafael Vi oly.
Ring Stone, 2010, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston,
commissioned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Public
Art Program, for Sloan School of Management.
EXHIBITIONS CURATED BY CAI GUO-QIANG
Who Is the Happiest? UMoCA Inaugural Exhibition with Ni
Tsai-Chin for Arte allArte 6, UMoCA (Under Museum of Contempo-
rary Art), Colle di Val dElsa (see group exhibitions).
2002
Cai Guo-Qiangs Maksimov Collection, Shanghai Art Museum. Part
of Cai Guo-Qiang (see solo exhibitions).
Cai Guo-Qiangs Maksimov Collection, Central Academy of Fine
Arts, Beijing (organized by Fan DiAn and Wang Mingxian).
Cai Guo-Qiangs Maksimov Collection, Gwanshanyue Art Museum,
Shenzhen (organized by Fan DiAn and Wang Mingxian).
2003
DMoCA 2: Pause, Inaugural Exhibition with Kiki Smith, DMoCA
(Dragon Museum of Contemporary Art), Tsunan Mountain Park,
Niigata Prefecture. Exh. cat. Part of Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial
2003 (see group exhibitions).
2004
18 Solo Exhibitions, BMoCA (Bunker Museum of Contemporary Art),
Kinmen Island, Taiwan. Exh. cat. The eighteen exhibitions were
Shen Yuan: Speaker Tea, Guningtou Cihu Great Bunker; Wang
Jianwei: Soft Target, Guningtou Cihu Great Bunker; Lee Shi-chi
Studio (Lee Shi-chi and Tsai Chi-rong): War Bets on Peace,
Nanshan Fortification No.1 Bunker; Liu Xiaodong: Battlefield
Sketches: The New Eighteen Arhats, Nanshan Fortification
Chungshan Classroom; Wang Wenchih: Dragon Dares Tiger Lair,
Nanshan Fortification No. 2 Bunker, Command Center, and
2002 UMoCA Under Museum of Contemporary Art, Colle di Val dElsa,
Museo de Arte de Shanghai, China, Cai Guo-Qiangs Maksimov Italia, Jennifer Wen Ma: Aeolian Garden. Cat. expo. Parte de Arte
Collection. Parte de Cai Guo-Qiang (vase exposiciones allArte 10 (vase exposiciones colectivas).
individuales).
2006
Academia Central de Bellas Artes, Beijing organizada por Fan
DMoCA Dragn Museum of Contemporary Art, Parque de la
DiAn y Wang Mingxian, Cai Guo-Qiangs Maksimov Collection .
montaa de Tsunan, Prefectura de Niigata, DMoCA 3: Range,
Museo de Arte de Gwanshnyue, Shenzhen, China organizada por
Kotaro Miyanaga. Parte de la Echi Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial
Fan DiAn y Wang Mingxian, Cai Guo-Qiangs Maksimov Collection.
2006 (vase exposiciones colectivas).
2003
2008
DMoCA Dragon Museum of Contemporary Art, Parque de la
Sackler Center for Arts Education, Solomon R. Guggenheim
montaa de Tsunan, Prefectura de Niigata, Japn, DMoCA 2:
Museum, Nueva York, Everything Is Museum. Cat. expo. Viaj al
Pause, Inaugural Exhibition with Kiki Smith.
Museo Nacional de Arte de China, Beijing.
DMoCA 2: Pause, Inaugural Exhibition with Kiki Smith. Cat. expo.
Parte de la Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2003 (vase exposiciones 2009
colectivas). Everything Is Museum, Guggenheim Bilbao, parte de Cai
Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe (vase exposiciones individuales).
2004
DMoCA Dragon Museum of Contemporary Art, Tsunan Mountain
BMoCA Bunker Museum of Contemporary Art, Isla Kinmen, Taiwn,
Park, Niigata Prefecture DMoCA 4: Jennifer Wen Ma parte de
18 exposiciones individuales. Cat. expo. BMoCA Bunker Museum of
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2009 (vase exposiciones colectivas).
Contemporary Art, Isla Kinmen, Taiwn,
Cat. expo.
Kinmen Childrens Bunker Museum of Art. BMoCA (Bunker Museum
of Contemporary Art), Kinmen Island, Taiwn. Cat. expo. 2010
UMoCA Under Museum of Contemporary Art, Colle di Val dElsa Kiki
2005
Smith: Color Still. Exh. cat.
Arsenal de Venecia y Jardn Vegini, Venecia, Virgin Garden:
Emersion en el pabelln de China en la 51 Bienal de Venecia.

96
surrounding areas; Yao Chien: Listen! Who is Singing?, Nanshan
Fortification under the banyan tree and arsenal; Yin Ling:
Lovemaking for World Peace, Nanshan Fortification No. 3 Bunker
and Arsenal; Ying Bo: Fei Ya! Fei Ya! (Flying) and Fusion, Nahsan
Fortification Arsenal and Blindage; Da Lun Wei Art Squad (He Shi
and Yan San): The Other Side of the Coast, Tashan Battery No. 2
Bunker; Tan Dun: Visual Music, Tashan Battery No. 3 Bunker and
Arsenal; Su-mei Tse: Some Airing . . . and Yellow Mountain, Tashan
Battery No. 1 Bunker and Arsenal; Tung Wang Wu: Surrender,
Tashan Battery No. 2 Bunker Arsenal; Lee Mingwei: Shuito Legend,
Shuito Village; Yung Ho Chang: One Divided by Two, Changliao
Rezoning District; Fei Dawei: The Childrens Bookstore Exchange
Program, Cultural Affairs Bureau; Lin Hsing-yueh: Pyramid,
Cultural Affairs Bureau; Tsai Ming-liang: Whitering Flower, Lintsuo
Old-Battlefield Army Base; and Zeng Li: Fight Theatre, Lintsuo
Old-Battlefield Army Base.
Kinmen Childrens Bunker Museum of Art, BMoCA (Bunker Museum
of Contemporary Art), Kinmen Island, Taiwan. Exh. cat.
2005
Virgin Garden: Emersion. China Pavilion at the 51st Venice
Biennale, Venice Arsenale and Vergini Garden, Venice.
Jennifer Wen Ma: Aeolian Garden, UMoCA (Under Museum of
97
Contemporary Art), Colle di Val dElsa. Exh. cat. Part of Arte allArte
10 (see group exhibitions).
2006
DMoCA 3: Range, Kotaro Miyanaga. DMoCA (Dragon Museum of
Contemporary Art), Tsunan Mountain Park, Niigata Prefecture, Part
of Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2006 (see group exhibitions).
2008
Everything Is Museum, Sackler Center for Arts Education, Solomon
R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Exh. cat. Part of Cai
Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe (see solo exhibitions).
Everything Is Museum, National Art Museum of China, Beijing. Part
of Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe (see solo exhibitions).
2009
Everything Is Museum, Guggenheim Bilbao, Mar. 17Sept. Part of
Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe (see solo exhibitions).
DMoCA 4: Jennifer Wen Ma, DMoCA (Dragon Museum of Contempo-
rary Art), Tsunan Mountain Park, Niigata Prefecture. Part of Echigo-
Tsumari Art Triennial 2009 (see group exhibitions). Exh. cat.
2010
Kiki Smith: Color Still, UMoCA (Under Museum of Contemporary
Art), Colle di Val dElsa. Exh. cat.
98
LISTA DE OBRA WORK LIST

Cai Guo-Qiang Video

Resplandor y soledad, 2010
Instalacin in situ Celebraciones, seleccin de proyectos de explosin, Proyectos para extraterrestres, seleccin de
Plvora, papel, piedras volcnicas y mezcal 19942009 proyectos de explosin, 19902002
Coleccin del artista 17 min. 35 seg. 7 min. 39 seg.
Videografa de Araki Takahisa, Jan Deboutte Videografa de Araki Takahisa y Cai Studio, editado
Dibujos Drawings (cortesa de S.M.A.K.), NHK Japan Broadcasting por Paul Kuranko
Las medidas estn dadas en centmetros Corporation, Central China TV, Shanghai Oriental TV Coleccin del artista
y el alto precede al ancho: Station, y John Borst; editado por Paul Kuranko y
Lauren Petty Resplandor y Soledad, creacin de los dibujos con
guila, 400 300 Coleccin del artista plvora, 2010
Camino a Temascaltepec, 600 800 14 min. 51 seg.
Castillo, 700 400 Creacin de los dibujos con plvora, 2009-2010 Video documental de la creacin de los dibujos con
Enlazando caballos, 300 800 12 min. 54 seg. plvora en el MUAC, UNAM, Ciudad de Mxico,
Espritus, 300 400 Videografa de On-Works International Multimedia 22-28 de noviembre, 2010
Flores de amapola, 400 600 Co. Ltd., Araki Takahisa, y Mouth Watering Media; Videografa y edicin de Rafael Ortega, Andrs
Hroes, 400 1200 editado por Lauren Petty Villalobos, Omar Guzmn
Maizal, 300 400 Coleccin del artista Coleccin del artista
Mar de casas, 400 1200
Pino, 800 x 300 Fuegos artificiales negros, seleccin de proyectos de
Pueblo y nios, 400 900 explosin, 20052008
Quetzalcatl y Xipe Ttec, 600 400 5 min. 3 seg.
Sombra, 300 1200 Videografa de Araki Takahisa, editado por Araki
Tonatiuh, 400 600 Takahisa y Hong-Kai Wang
Coleccin del artista

99
AGRADECIMIENTOS AKNOWLEDGEMENTS

La Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico agradece a las personas e instituciones cuya generosa colaboracin hace posible el Museo Universitario Arte Contemporneo.

CRCULO JUSTO SIERRA CRCULO JOS VASCONCELOS CRCULO ALFONSO CASO

Miguel Alemn Velasco Eugenio Lpez Alonso Jos Luis Chong
Fundacin Alfredo Harp Hel, A .C. Elas M. Sacal CEME X
Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes Grupo Radio Centro Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologa
Gobierno del Distrito Federal ISA Corporativo Proeza Slai
Ingenieros Civiles Asociados Zimat Constructores
Imgenes y Muebles Urbanos
Hoteles City Express
Coleccin Charpenel, Guadalajara
Coleccin de Arte Corpus A .C.

Vctor Acua, Arnaldo Coen, Armando Colina, Sucesin Olivier Debroise, Felipe Ehrenberg, Edgardo Ganado Kim, Ana Mara Garca Kobe, Gelsen Gas, Jan Hendrix,
Boris Hirmas, Alejandro Montoya, Mariana Prez Amor, Ricardo Regazzoni, Patricia Sloane, Jos No Suro, Alejandra Yturbe

El Museo Universitario Arte Contemporneo agradece a las personas e instituciones cuya generosa colaboracin hicieron posible la exposicin Cai Guo-Qiang: Resplandor
y Soledad
Alex Xavier Aceves Bernal, Eugenia Aguilar Gutirrez, Erik Alejandro Alonso Len, Fernando lvarez Robledo, Patricia Carreo Gmez, Alejandra Contreras Sieck,
Diego de Santiago Delfn, Karla Renee Franco Castillo, Hugo Ismael Gutirrez Martnez, Omar Ibez Hernndez, Oleg Larizza Hollands Torres, Omar Ibez Hernndez,
Cinthia Lara Avils, Claudia Dinorah Luna Fuentes, Jos Daniel Manzano guila, Silvestre Martnez, Emiliano Martnez Guerrero, Carmen Gabriela Moedano Garca,
Diego Alejandro Moreno Chairez, Frida Anah Ortega Medina, Eduardo Aureliano Ortiz Vera, Melissa Andrea Paredes Requena, Jos Francisco Pavn Figueroa, Guadalupe
Reyes, Christian Reyes Rivera, Ricardo Rodrguez Martnez, Guillermo Rosas Snchez, Vernica Montserrat Ruiz Trejo, Santiago Salcido Madrid, Ricardo Daniel Sierra
Mercado, Sandra Soltero Leal, Jorge Alberto Trujillo Limones, Juan Sebastin Zapata Snchez, Luis Miguel Zea Gastelbundo, Xalli Cristina Ziga Carloz / Cai Guo-Qiang,
Cai Studio Staff, ENAP

100
CRDITOS DE EXPOSICIN CREDITS OF THE EXHIBITION

Ben Tufnell Claudio Hernndez Cai Studio Staff

Curadura Conservacin
Patricia Sloane Juan Corts
Enlace con Cai Studio Alfredo Cuevas
Cruz Lira
Alejandra Labastida Manuel Magaa
Coordinacin curatorial Registro y control de obra
Joel Aguilar Jorge Trujillo
Benedeta Monteverde Apoyo logstico
Leticia Pardo
Diseo museogrfico Marcela Torres
Servicio Social
Salvador vila
Antonio Barruelas
Enrique Castillo Voluntarios
Mario Hernndez Hugo Ismael Gutirrez Martnez Christian Reyes Rivera
Alberto Mercado Karla Renee Franco Castillo
Instalacin de medios audiovisuales Emiliano Martnez Guerrero
Claudia Dinorah Luna Fuentes
Delfino vila Alex Xavier Aceves Bernal
Ral Chvez Luis Miguel Zea Gastelbundo
Agustn Gmez Diego de Santiago Delfn Juan Sebastin Zapata Snchez
Carlos Alberto Moguel Guillermo Rosas Snchez
Alberto Villarruel Xalli Cristina Ziga Carloz
Montaje Patricia Carreo Gmez
Melissa Andrea Paredes Requena
Julia Molinar Omar Ibez Hernndez Carmen Gabriela Moedano Garca
Ivonne Bautista Jos Francisco Pavn Figueroa
Mariana Arenas Ricardo Daniel Sierra Mercado
Enlace de colecciones Fernando lvarez Robledo
Canhuang Cai, Studio Assistant (Beijing)
Jorge Alberto Trujillo Limones
Santiago Salcido Madrid
Eugenia Aguilar Gutirrez
Cinthia Lara Aviles
Alejandra Contreras Sieck
Diego Alejandro Moreno Chairez
Guadalupe Reyes
Oleg Larizza Hollands Torres
Vernica Montserrat Ruiz Trejo
Erik Alejandro Alonso Len
Ricardo Rodrguez Martnez
Frida Anai Ortega Medina
Cai Guo-Qiang
Tatsumi Masatoshi, Technical Director
Mariluz Hoyos, Project Director
Chinyan Wong, Project Manager
Kelly Ma, Project Assistant
I-Hua Lee, Project Assistant
Karen Chen, Head of Archives
Xiaoli Ma, Archivist
Chialin Chou, Collections Manager
Lulu Zhang, Studio Manager
Hong Hong Wu, Financial Manager
Ersang Ma, Studio Assistant (New York)
MeiMei Zhou, Former Operations Manager
Zhenhuan Zhou, Operations Coordinator
Kanako Hayashi, Volunteer
Ayako Takizawa, Volunteer

101
MUSEO UNIVERSITARIO ARTE CONTEMPORNEO

Graciela de la Torre Julia Molinar Carmen Ruiz

Directora Subdirectora de conservacin y registro Subdirectora de comunicacin
Ivonne Bautista Ana Laura Cu, Katnira Bello
Jorge Reynoso Colecciones en trnsito Publicaciones
Secretario tcnico Juan Corts Francisco Domnguez, Eduardo Lomas
Registro y control de obra Difusin y medios
Jos Luis Barrios, Patricia Sloane Claudio Hernndez Ana Cristina Sol, Andrea Bernal
Curadores adjuntos Laboratorio de restauracin Comunicacin institucional
Cecilia Delgado, Alejandra Labastida
Curadores asociados Claudia Barrn Gabriela Fong
Sol Henaro Subdirectora de programas pblicos Subdirectora de vinculacin
Curador del acervo artstico contemporneo y colecciones asociadas Joel Aguilar, Benedeta Monteverde Teresa de la Concha
Pilar Garca Diseo museogrfico Procuracin
Curador de acervos documentales y bibliogrficos Salvador vila Josefina Granados
Helena Chvez Medios electrnicos Alianzas estratgicas y relaciones pblicas
Curador acadmico Rafael Smano Lucy Villamar
Guillermo Santamarina Divulgacin y educacin Comercializacin
Curador Espacio Sonoro Muna Cann Nicols Armendriz
Francisco Caviedes, Esther de la Herrn Enlace educativo Patronato y Amigos del MUAC
Curadores museo virtual
Araceli Mosqueda
Administracin

102
 UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTNOMA DE MXICO

Dr. Jos Narro Robles

Rector / Rector

Dr. Sergio M. Alcocer Martnez de Castro

Secretario General / General Secretary

Mtro. Juan Jos Prez Castaeda

Secretario Administrativo / Administrative Secretary

Dra. Rosaura Ruiz Gutirrez

Secretaria de Desarrollo Institucional / Secretary of Institutional Development

M.C. Ramiro Jess Sandoval

Secretario de Servicios a la Comunidad / Secretary of Community Services

Lic. Luis Ral Gonzlez Prez

Abogado General / Attorney General

Mtro. Sealtiel Alatriste

Coordinador de Difusin Cultural / Coordinator of Cultural Diffusion

Mtra. Graciela de la Torre

Directora General de Artes Visuales / Visual Arts General Director

103
CAI Se termin de imprimir en el mes de febero de 2011 en los talleres de
Grupo Fogra, Mrtires de Tacubaya 62, Tacubaya, C.P. 11870, Mexico, D.F.,
GUO- con un tiraje de 1000 ejemplares sobre papel Consort Royal Cream de
QIANG 135gr. En su formacin se utiliz tipografa Trade Gothic LT y Aachen.
Printing was completed in February 2011 in the workshop Grupo Fogra,
RESPLANDOR
Y SOLEDAD Mrtires de Tacubaya 62, Tacubaya, C.P. 11870, Mexico, D.F., with a
SUNSHINE circulation of 1,000 copies on Consort Royal Cream paper of 135grs.
AND SOLITUDE His training was used font Trade Gothic LT and Aachen.