Explosion Art Work

In celebration of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery's 25th anniversary, Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang stages one of his remarkable "explosion events," a thrilling combination of pyrotechnics, artistry, and optical illusion in four dimensions.
A live 40-foot-tall pine tree will erupt in an effervescent shimmer of fireworks as if in a tree-lighting ceremony, followed by a cascade of black ink-like smoke that mimics the flowing beauty of traditional Chinese brush drawings. The tree-shaped cloud of smoke drifting through the air will create a spectral scene of two trees, one real and one ethereal.

The event will be streamed live at asia.si.edu/Sackler25.

The event is planned in honor of the Sackler's 25th and Art in Embassies' 50th anniversaries, and is a highlight of both organizations' anniversary week programming.

The site-specific staging is part of Cai's larger series of "explosion events," which have been featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC; Central Park in New York City curated by Creative Time; and numerous international institutions.

Image: Sketch for "Explosion Event," Cai Guo-Qiang (b. 1957, Quanzhou, China; lives in New York); 2012; pencil and marker on printed paper; Collection of the artist; Ref #2012.2317

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