# @drawingcenter on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/BjNqO7Nhwb3
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/16045888-drawingcenter-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/d9067da87d.jpg
- **Posted:** 2018-05-25T20:14:12.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** The Drawing Center (@drawingcenter) — https://gondola.cc/drawingcenter

## Caption

Artists have a variety of methods to make their mark. Every Friday we will share a photograph of an #ArtistInAction. 
Cai Guo-Qiang (蔡国强, b. 1957) is a Chinese artist known for working with gunpowder in his drawings and installations that reflect upon Chinese history and the future of China under our contemporary global conditions. Growing up during the Cultural Revolution, Cai became accustomed to experiencing explosions that were either from canon blasts or celebratory fireworks. He explains that he “saw gunpowder used in both good ways and bad, in destruction and reconstruction.” Having participated in demonstrations and protests of the time, he witnessed social effects that have had a lasting effect on his practice. “In some sense,” Cai explains, “Mao Zedong influenced all artists from our generation with his utopian romance and sentiment." The use of gunpowder in his work reflects the Maoist tenet: “destroy nothing, create nothing.” Cai creates a drawing using the destructive material of gunpowder as a reiteration of that idea. Although his work has a Chinese context, Cai seeks to transcend these barriers and establish dialogue with different parts of the world. His ignition series, events that involve firework or pyrotechnic displays, have been shown internationally. “Why is it important,” he asks, “to make these violent explosions beautiful? Because the artist, like an alchemist, has the ability to transform certain energies, using poison against poison, using dirt and getting gold.” 〰
#CaiGuoQiang  CaiStudio

Image: Photo by Jessica Demmock, Smithsonian Magazine, 2013.

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## Tags

artistinaction, caiguoqiang

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