Cai Guo-Qiang

Art for me is pure energy. I love to paint big and seep into the canvas and crawl into color, into energy, into pure light. My new favorite artist is Cai Guo-Qiang and he takes the feeling of energy and gives it a physical form in fire and explosions. Guo-Qiang's artwork is influenced by China's cultural and political history, including its modern revolutionary history under Mao Zedong. Revolutionary culture is in the moment and quickly expendable and so is Guo-Qiang's work with gunpowder and explosives. The pieces I am speaking of are spectacular. He uses both large installation, canvas or paper to execute the artwork. For the latter the gunpowder and fuses are placed on the surface of the canvas or paper, which is placed on the floor. When lit, the fuse lines burn igniting the gunpowder which creates loud bangs, flashes of fire and then clouds of smoke. You can view the process in a video at the Guggenheim where I saw a large body of Guo-Qiangs work. The result is a textured surface that looks like an explosion. Blackened and charred arrested in a state of being expanded in a flash - incredible.
My favorite pieces are Gunpowder Panting No. 8-10 (1988), The Immensity of Heaven and Earth: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 11 (1991) and Fetus Movement: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 9 (1991).
Guo-Qiang installation work is nothing like I have ever seen. I was totally blow away. With each piece you are gazing at violence peppered with the feeling that things my be ok. If you have not already, try to get to the Guggenheim to see Guo-Qiang show. It is quite spectacular and inspirational.

Cai Guo-Qiang
I Want To Believe
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
February 22, 2008-May 28, 2008
http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/exhibition_pages/cai.html