Gunpowder on paper

154 x 121 cm. 60 5/8 x47 5/8 in.

Titled in Chinese,signed in Chinese and Pinyin “Cai”,dated “2014” and inscribed the location in Chinese “PSA” on lower left
Note：This work is executed by the artist at the same occasion of his solo exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang：The Nineth Wave in 2014 in Power Station of Art,Shanghai.

Cai Guo-Qiang
“Mankind changes generation after generation,seasons rotate year after year,cities become ruins wrapped by flourishing blossoms in nature,which often leave one with mixed feelings.”
－Cai Guo-Qiang
Since Cai Guo-Qiang started to use gunpowder as his medium,he has detached from the dilemma of his peers struggling between the conflicts of Occidental and Oriental culture. Since then,historical relics and cultural customs have played a more significant role for him rather than concepts from Western Modern art movements. Furthermore,his unique individual experience and thriving interests into the unknown mysterious field have driven his works to have more appeals in spirituality. Thus,he is highly recognised by various nationalities and won international acclaim. The concept of “Fun” is frequently employed in his works,which is closer to that of “unpretentious fun” in ancient literati culture rather than superficial entertainment. Thomas Krens,who curated Cai’s solo exhibition at Guggenheim Museum,once said,“Cai Guo-Qiang has officially ‘exploded’ the standards of contemporary art creations of our time.” He believes that,“Cai Guo-Qiang freely takes themes from ancient myths,military history,Taoism,revolutionary strategies,Buddhism,firecracker technology,as well as Chinese medicines to include into his works. His art is a reflection of social power that constantly changes and links up the ‘Visible and Invisible World’ addressed by him.” What shapes Cai Guo-Qiang is his combination of historical and cultural metaphor with creative art forms,thus making him not just a cultural icon,nor an artist who merely pursues fun.
The Bund Without Us：Poetic Song of Utopia in the Ninth Wave
After his retrospective exhibition at Guggenheim Museum in 2008,Cai have been “crowned” by Occidental art system,indicating his official entry into the system and its high recognition towards Chinese art. Ever since then,Cai has never slowed his pace in terms of creation. With the broad international stage,he was able to unrestrainedly present his bursting imagination and desire to create,thus delivering a variety of large-scale explosions,installations and curation plans. In the afternoon of July 24th,2014,Cai Guo-Qiang completed the explosion of gunpowder sketch for The Bund Without Us in Power Station of Art,Shanghai. The sketch depicts the fairytale-like scene of the bund in natural state without human presence. The Bund Without Us was an explosion project created for his solo exhibition of Cai Guo-Qiang：The Ninth Wave,to be opened in August of the same year. This magnificent painting,27-meter long and 4-meter tall,presents the scenes of the Bund with various creatures living in harmony in nature：jungles taking over roads and blossoms covering ruins. Cai Guo-Qiang spontaneously places signs from traditional Shanghai-style paintings on exotic architectures on the Bund,bringing the works created by these artists during the construction period of the bund back to their native land. The choice of environmental protection for his solo exhibition at the Shanghai Power Station of Art,is in fact,a response to the history of Power Station of Art,which was previously “Yuannan City Power Generation Station”. The explosion of gunpowder leaves mottling marks on the paper,recalling past memories and looking into future prospects. The Bund Without Us extends Cai’s advocacy for environmental issues,i.e. industrial smog,contaminated river and so on. These ecological and environmental issues in China have reached to an alarming state demanding immediate attention. These are the common challenges faced by humanity as well as the inevitable topics to be addressed by the art community.
Apart from the magnificent 27-meter scroll painting,Cai created thirteen drawings of gunpowder on paper. All works are related to animals and plants,consisting of unique and poetic composition. The Bund Without Us No. 3 in this auction is one of the series which Cai specially created on the site of the Power Station of Art in Shanghai. “Adjustment by Local Conditions” is the principle of Cai’s live explosion. He always traces the historic changes of architectures and regional customs of each exhibition venue,thus leaving trail for the inspirations of each work. The Bund in Shanghai was classified as part of the British concession area back in Qing Dynasty. The waterfront boulevard was one of the ports with the earliest development,representing former Shanghai international settlements. It also marked the starting point for the old concession area and the development of modern Shanghai today. On the west side of the Bund,there are fifty two classic buildings with totally distinctive styles. The buildings have been known as the classical and well-designed architecture clusters at the Bund of Shanghai,which became the financial hub and the center of foreign trade institutions in the olden times. It is also the reflection of Capitalism in Old Shanghai and has long been deemed as the signature trademark and historical symbol of the city. Shanghai also nourished numerous Chinese Modernists and Shanghai-style artists.
Flame of History and Civilisation,Poem of Lightness and Elegance
Shanghai is a metropolitan city,displaying both a futuristic and historical charm. For Cai Guo-Qiang,the Bund is viewed as a beautiful scene displaying an Oriental flair. The artist draws four magpies in different poses,designed with highly classical composition,in The Bund Without Us No. 3. Basically,the painting is divided into the top and bottom parts— the little adorable white bird on the lower right corner stays on a horizontal branch,appearing to be calm and content. The string of fireworks from the explosion on the branch looks like five red cherry blossoms. The two magpies on the lower left stand closely with each other in an overlapping position. One bird gently holds a blooming yellow peony in the mouth,with its head lifting up in a greeting pose while the other bird on the upper right spreads its wings,drawn by the fragrance of flowers,attempts to fly to the bottom to meet the rest of the birds. The spots of sparkles left from the explosion on the wings intensify the dynamic momentum of the flying bird. Moreover,the natural brown and bright yellow colours formed from the fireworks add a dramatic effect to the bird,like a phoenix rising from flames displaying a dazzling image. With precise and skillful techniques,Cai Guo-Qiang transforms fierce fire into an gentle and graceful image,using void space and pure colours to highlight the images of “red cherry blossom”,“magpies”,“peony” and “phoenix”,radiating a scene from traditional literati paintings through a spiritual,elegant and subtle resplendent auspiciousness. The Bund Without Us No. 3 puts an emphasis on the main environmental and ecological issues we face today,while expressing his love for the Shanghai Bund,the appreciation towards oriental traditions,as well as his love for nature.

Price estimate:
HKD：1,200,000 - 1,500,000
USD：154,800 - 193,500

Auction Result:
HKD:1,416,000