A Few Closing (and Opening) Remarks

Poster for Cai Guo-Qiang: Hanging Out in the Museum, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan, November 21, 2009 – February 21, 2010

Earlier this week, after passing through New York and Beijing, our retrospective I Want to Believe closed at its final venue, the Guggenheim Bilbao.  We just received news that it was the second most-attended show in the museum’s history, with more than 560,000 visitors over the course of six months. That’s an average of 3221 visitors per day, no small feat. We’re pleased that this scenic, medium-sized city, with its verdant hills, clean air, and stunning architecture, turned out to be such an important travel destination for us. And this marks the end of the Guggenheim retrospective tour, an enormous chapter of our lives, which began a year and a half ago…

Our next solo show is going to be a lot of fun to travel to, and yet deeply tied to our roots.  It will also feature some interactive works that break down barriers between art and audiences.  If you know the work Cultural Melting Bath, you’ll have an inkling of why.  That work was first shown in Queens in ’97 (already 12 years ago!), and it’s traveling to Taipei later this fall.  Taiwan is just across the strait from Cai’s hometown, and it’s a place that quite a few of our studio staff call home.  So, if you need an excuse to eat loads of Taiwanese food or take an herbal bath with strangers, book your plane ticket now and join us (no one here is exactly dreading this trip).  It’s a retrospective show, but with new works and events open to the public.  We predict this show will be very big but also very personal.

我们的回顾展《我想要相信》從紐約巡迴至北京，並在本周於西班牙畢尔包的古根漢美术馆圆满结束。长达6个月的展览期间，参观者多余56万人次，成为美术馆有史以来参展人数排名第二的展览，每日參觀人數约3221人，不容小覷。畢爾包是座風景優美的中型城市， 擁有青山绿水、清新空气和另人陶醉的建筑，我们很高兴巡回展在這裡畫下了一個美好的句點。长达一年半的巡迴占据了我们生活的一大篇章，在此，我们结束了一年半前开始的旅途，进入下一个另人期待的段落。

即将开展的下一个个展会是一次很有趣的旅行，它深深依赖于我们的根，並將著重於與民眾互動的裝置作品，拉进艺术与观众的关系。 如果您知道蔡国强早期的作品《文化大混浴》，那么您一定非常希望亲身体验此作品。97年它第一次在纽约皇后美术馆亮相，至今已经12年，近期它将跋涉到台湾，台北。台湾与蔡国强的故乡面对面，相隔台湾海峡，同时它还是我们众多工作室成员的家。现在，如果您需要一个前往台北享受各种小吃或者和陌生人一起泡药草汤的理由，那么我们诚心邀请您现在就加入我们，预订您的机票。这是一个回顾展，但同时也会有新的作品和活动向公众开放。我们预计本次个展将会“惊天动地”，这是个充满个性的大展！

Installation Companion

Kelly went to the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art to install Cai’s work Illusion of Childhood for the Museum’s exhibition Bike Rides, which will open on October 4th. The curator, Monica, invited Kelly to stay with her at her apartment, so Kelly got to meet her chubby cat, Casimiro, who loves to be the center of attention, even when they were just inflating the mattress…

Photos by Kelly Ma, courtesy Cai Studio

A Balancing Act

Photos by Chinyan Wong, courtesy Cai Studio

Cai working with enginners to figure out how to position the Taihu rocks and pine trees for Cultural Melting Bath at The Taiwain Fine Arts Museum, so the building does not collapse and take out the staff office one floor below

A Peaceful Reminder

In support of Cai’s long-time friend, Issey Miyake, the Studio posts a link to Mr. Miyake’s recent  letter in the New York Times Op-Ed section, which shares hopeful thoughts about peace. The letter can also be found in a recently published book for learning English through texts about peace.

In 2008, Cai had an exhibition in Issey Miyake’s hometown, Hiroshima, Japan. The photo below shows the installation view at Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art.

Cai Guo-Qiang; Installation view at Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art (works shown, left to right: Black Fireworks: Project for Hiroshima, Clear Sky Black Cloud: Project for the Metropolitan Museum of Art), 2008. Photo by Seiji Toyonaga, courtesy Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art

20th Fukuoka Prize Ceremony, September 2009

Cai Guo-Qiang being handed the 20th Fukuoka Prize. Photo by Hong Hong Wu, courtesy Cai Studio

Cai Guo-Qiang on stage with fellow prize winners: Miki Minoru, Partha Chatterjee, and Augustin Berque at the 20th Fukuoka Prize Ceremony. Photo by Hong Hong Wu, Courtesy Cai Studio

Immaculate

Cai Guo-Qiang standing next to El Greco's Virgin of the Immaculate Conception at the Museo del Santa Cruz, Toledo. Photo by Chinyan Wong, courtesy Cai Studio

Fire Medicine

Screenshot of VBS.TV's video feature called Cai Guo-Qiang & The Art of Fire Medicine

Check out the video feature on VBS.TV’s website.