Gunpowder on paper

67 x 52 cm. 26 3/8 x 20 1/2 in.

Signed in Pinyin，dated“1993.2”and inscribed“93.11.3”on lower right； inscribed in Chinese on middle right，the center and middle left


CAI GUO-QIANG

Cai Guo-qiang，who has lived abroad for many years，began Project for the Extraterrestrials since 1989 which consisted of using explosives，with the aim of emitting signals to the universe in search of a possible communication between the Earth and other planets. In 1993，upon his return to China from the sojourn in Japan，Cai launched his largest explosion event，Project to Extend the Great Wall of China by 10，000 Meters：Project for the Extraterrestrials No. 10. Borrowing the saying that ‘the Great Wall is the only man-made object that can be seen from the moon’，Cai set the stage at the Great Wall where he lit the extensive gunpowder fuse at the desert in an attempt to establish communications with the extraterrestrials.

Project to Extend the Great Wall by 10，000 Meters – The Sketch is the plan of the said project，which has thoroughly recorded the development of the project from ideas to its realisation. All the trails of the gunpowder blaze were faithfully captured in appropriate size. If the blaze is meant to represent a brilliant fleeting moment，the traces of gunpowder fuse seared on the paper become the witness of the everlasting time of eternity. The sketch not only embodies the ideas of the project but also the ingenious composition and trails of gunpowder blaze together have formed a natural and elegant ink-like texture that delicately depicts its grandeur and spectacle.

Price estimate:
HKD：200,000 - 300,000
USD：25,800 - 38,700

Auction Result:
HKD:236,000