Japanese Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Cai Guo-Qiang

ツァイ・グオチャン

Sai Kokkyo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1957-12-08 （Quanzhou, Fujian, China）
Nationality
China
Languages
Chinese, English, Japanese
Residence History
Quanzhou, Fujian, China (birth / early life) → Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan (c.1988–1995) → New York, United States (resident since c.1995)

Career

Occupations
Contemporary artist, Curator
Active Years
1985-
Influenced By
Chinese traditional culture (gunpowder / fireworks), Stage design and earthwork practices

Education

Shanghai Theatre Academy
Stage Design / Stage Design
Period: 1981-1985
Year of Graduation: 1985
Country: China
Studied stage design; began artistic practice after graduation.

Awards

Benesse Prize
1995
Organization: Benesse Corporation
Result: winner
Japan Culture Design Prize
1995
Result: winner
Hugo Boss Prize
1996
Organization: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
Result: winner
Oribe Prize
1997
Result: winner
Venice Biennale Golden Lion
1999
Work: Venice Project: 'Venetian Rent Collection' (project)
Organization: Venice Biennale
Result: winner
Hiroshima Prize
2008
Organization: Hiroshima Prize Committee
Result: winner
Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize
2009
Organization: Fukuoka Prize Committee
Result: winner
Praemium Imperiale (World Culture Prize)
2012
Organization: Praemium Imperiale (The Japan Art Association)
Result: winner
Japan Foundation Award
2016
Organization: The Japan Foundation
Result: winner
Arts Encouragement Prize, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
2024
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan)
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Transient Rainbow

2002 Performance / Pyrotechnic project

A large-scale pyrotechnic installation for MoMA that created a transient rainbow in the sky using fireworks.

gunpowderephemeralitycross-cultural exchange

Primitive Fireball - The Project for Projects

1991 Drawing / Performance

A project combining gunpowder drawings and performance; one of his early signature works.

explosioncreation and destruction

Project for Extraterrestrials No.10: Extend the Great Wall by 10,000 m

1993 Earthwork / Performance

One of a series of large-scale projects referencing the Great Wall, interrogating land and history.

historypublic space

Sky Ladder

2012 Firework installation / Performance

A firework project that created a giant ladder ascending into the sky using pyrotechnics; known as a personal, symbolic work.

transcendencepersonal mythology

Bibliography

  • Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe (retrospective catalogue)
  • Cai Guo-Qiang: A Cosmic Journey - From the Original Fireball (exhibition catalogue)
  • Reflection - A Gift from Iwaki (project catalogue)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Gunpowder-based explosive drawings and performancesEarthwork-like projects using large public spaces
Recurring Motifs
gunpowder / fireworksdragonhistory, destruction and regenerationcultural intersections

Legacy

Cai Guo-Qiang is an internationally acclaimed contemporary artist known for large-scale pyrotechnic performances and gunpowder drawings. He has received major international awards, held retrospectives at leading museums, and served as a visual director for high-profile public events such as the Beijing Olympics.

In Popular Culture

  • Contributed to the visual (fireworks) direction of the 2008 Beijing Olympic opening and closing ceremonies

Quotes

  • Gunpowder symbolizes both destruction and creation. I try to control it and transform violence into creation.
    Source: Interviews / exhibition catalogues (source varies)

Trivia

  • Known internationally for gunpowder drawings and pyrotechnic performances.
  • Awarded the Golden Lion at the 1999 Venice Biennale.
  • While now based in New York, he carried out significant work during his years in Japan (including Iwaki).