Gunpowder on paper mounted on canvas

27.5 × 36.2 cm. 10 7/8 × 14 1/4 in.

Signed in pinyin and dated on bottom right
PROVENANCE
14 Jun 2008, Mainichi Tokyo Spring Auction, Lot 905
Important Private Collection, Asia

The Brilliance of the Avant-Garde: Blasting the Road for Art with Gunpowder
Cai Guo-qiang's Explosion and Golden Yuan Bills-Numinous Talismans

“Art is like a time-space tunnel to me. It enables me to travel between the visible and invisible worlds, wander inside and outside the system. It also makes me sway between social reality and pure artistic pursuit.”

――Cai Guo-qiang

It has been hundreds of years since the advent of gunpowder, leaving an undeniably huge impact on human life; the most internationally renowned Chinese contemporary artist Cai Guo-qiang is fascinated by its uncontrollable characteristics. For him, gunpowder is undoubtedly the best medium for destroying the social norms that have always encouraged the pursuit of order, overturning the known and exploring the unknown.

The Explosion (Lot 155) completed in 1988 represents his early creations. The explosion of gunpowder is uncontrollable and accidental, which enables time and space to undergo chaotic and incomprehensible changes. The destruction of blast and fire also constructs an appearance that has never been seen before. In the centre of the work, the dark black traces of gunpowder are like blooming stamens, showing the ultimate in life and splendour; while the lighter shades of grey splashing around are like green leaves, which is the inheritance and continuation of aesthetic ideas in literati paintings. In the faintly audible aftersound of gunpowder blast, this work embodies the essence of life, the truth within the poem, “Even for the leaves share the same branch, each has its prosperity.”

Break the Existing Value, Create the New Meaning

Cai's forward-looking vision of art creation has been greatly appreciated by the well-known TV host and collector Kelvin Tsai, leading to a unique cooperation between the two. On March 29, 2005, the Golden Yuan Bill became Cai's new subject of creation. Gunpowder was arranged on the paper bills issued by the National Government of the Republic of China in 1948 into the patterns of different Taoist spells. Then Cai blasted them, making each piece a unique “Numinous Talismans”. The next day, Tsai sold the works on a TV shopping show, breaking the stereotype that traditional art is only attainable on certain art platforms. The limited edition of 66 pieces was snapped up by collectors from all over the world in less than 15 minutes. One of them is the Golden Yuan Bills-Numinous Talismans (Lot 156) presented at this auction. The blast destroyed the original economic value of the bills, yet turned the two 100000-yuan gold-yuan bills into transferable artistic creations that are closely related to ordinary people's life. Coupled with the signatures of Cai and Tsai, the artwork also become a testimony of their friendship.

Price estimate:
HKD: 70,000 - 100,000
USD: 8,900 - 12,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 117,600