The Art of Explosives

While in New York City last week, I did manage to escape for a few hours to check out the Guggenheim Museum's explosive Cai Guo-Qiang retrospective. A master in the art of pyrotechnics and explosives, Cai's art is genuinely breathtaking in both it's creation and installation.

The Guggenheim's unique spiral layout provides an ample canvas to discover the many facets of this unique artist. An installation of exploding cars cascading down the atrium greets you, providing a dramatic tease of what's to come.

While the cars are the centerpiece installation, there are others equally as striking including a myriad of cracked clay statues to wander past and a herd of lifelike wolves flying above your head. His paper art, elaborated through clever use of fire and explosives are some of the most-unique pieces of modern art I have seen in a long time. Clearly influenced by Chinese iconography, he expands the visual impact by searing his visions into his canvas.

Interspersed throughout are videos highlighting Cai's site-specific explosion events. It is in these snippets that you see the mastery the artist has of his unique tools, and the vision behind his art.

This is a tour-de-force multimedia installation that everyone should experience. If you can't make it to New York City in person, check out the museum's online exhibition HERE.