Thursday, May 22, 2014

Outline for my presentation

           Cai Guo Qiang is a Chinese contemporary artist and curator. He is famous for his gunpowder paintings.  As we know, gunpowder is an explosive substance; it burns faster under pressure and it can rupture containers.  Cai once used “Poppy flower” that is a poisonous but very beautiful flower to describe his gunpowder artwork. He thinks gunpowder also has its romantic and attractive sides even though it is dangerous. Because gunpowder is uncontrollable, Cai and his group need to be cautious during the process of creating the painting. 
           (A video shows how the artist uses gunpowder)         
          The explosion of gunpowder somehow reminds me of the September 11 event and I think that might be a metaphor for it.  Cai is trying to make those violent explosions beautiful and different. 
          Cai draws on many different materials, elements of feng shui, symbols, images of dragons and tigers, Chinese medicine, gunpowder, and philosophy.(examples)

           Cai Guo Qiang’s work has since crossed multiple mediums within art, including drawing, installation, video and performance art.
His artwork is inspired by his interest in traditional Chinese culture and at the same time, his father who was an artist also influenced him a lot. He explores pain, tragedy, disaster and the meaning of terrorism in the world. At the same time, he expresses his ideas and emotions through abstract images and powerful objects and let the viewer feel deep pain by using strong visual impact. Also, his artworks reflect social issues and make people rethink about this world. That is why Cai Guo Qiang is considered as an example of Globalism. 

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