Cai Guo-Qiang

Cai Guo-Qiang is one of the most significant Chinese artists to have emerged internationally in the 1990s. Born in Quanzhou, China, in 1957, Cai lived in Tokyo from 1986 until 1995, when he moved to New York. Best known for his spectacular gunpowder projects at locations ranging from museum entrances to the sites of Land art works such as Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, Cai has explored a diversity of media and art forms. Major projects have included Project to Extend the Great Wall of China by 10,000 Meters: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 10 (1993), are extension of the Great Wall of China designed to be seen from outer space by extraterrestrial beings. Incorporating principles of feng shui, kites, jacuzzis, mini golf courses, melted-down cars and abandoned boats, his projects are strongly influenced by their location. Frequently his works are altered or developed as they are exhibited at new sites. Unifying Cai's wide-ranging work is his consistent investigation of humanity's place within the universe. Cai was shortlisted for the 1996 Hugo Boss Prize and won the Leone d'oro award at the 48th Venice Biennale (1999). He has been included in numerous biennial exhibitions, including São Paulo (1996), Istanbul (1997) and Venice (1995, 1997, 1999, 2001). His work has also been included in key international surveys of new Chinese art, including 'Cities on the Move' (Hayward Gallery, London, and tour, 1997) and 'Inside Out: New Chinese Art' (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and tour, 1998). Curator and critic Dana Friis-Hansen traces the development of the artist's work from the early oil paintings, produced while he was living in China, to the complex and ambitions projects which he now conducts worldwide. New York-based curator Octavio Zaya discusses with the artist his working practices and the continuity in his attitude towards his work. Curator Serizawa Takashi analyses a single work from the artist's Projects for Extraterrestrials series, Project to Extend the Great Wall of China by 10,000 Meters (1993). For the Artist's Choice Cai has selected the contents page from Warfare Beyond Rules: Judgement of War and Methods of War in the Era of Globalization (1999) by Qiao Liang (1955-) and Wang Xianhui (1954-). The book's exploration of diverse strategies reflects the eclectic nature of the artist's work. Cai Guo-Qiang's writings range from project notes, which detail the methods and thinking behind his works, to a new text on his unrealized projects, and the rote of chance in the creative process.