Cai Guo-Qiang, Ye Gong Hao Long (Mr. Ye Who Loves Dragons), 2003.
Estimate HK$9,000,000 – 14,000,000
20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, Hong Kong.
In the hallowed halls of artistic mastery, where imagination and innovation intertwine, few genres garner as much intrigue and captivation as Contemporary Art. At Phillips’ 20th Century & Contemporary Evening Sale, Cai Guo-Qiang’s Ye Gong Hao Long emerges as a paragon of explosive creativity and transcendent storytelling.
Cai Guo-Qiang’s latest exhibit in Tokyo, Ramble in the Cosmos: From Primeval Fireball Onward, serves as a subtle yet profound testament to his ongoing journey through the dual realms of creation and destruction, using the unpredictable nature of gunpowder. This exhibit is a mere chapter in Cai’s illustrious narrative, following acclaimed exhibitions such as Odyssey and Homecoming at The Palace Museum in Beijing (2020–2021), The Transient Landscape at the National Gallery of Victoria (2019), and Gunpowder Art at the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford (2019–2020).
In every venue and context, a harmonious thread intertwines through his artworks: the elemental use of gunpowder. Cai finds gunpowder to be a tangible embodiment of Daoism, a poignant symbol of the cosmic forces that emerge from the intricate dance of opposing elements. Within this masterful work of art, the viewer is thrust into the mesmerising confluence of order and chaos, substance and flame, as the disintegration of gunpowder gives rise to exquisite forms. What emerges is a delicate balance, a sublime interplay between control and uncertainty, as the ethereal scorch marks gently embrace the more concentrated trails, akin to iron filings drawn inexorably toward a magnetic pole. In unison, they evoke an unparalleled and resonant aura, inviting us to marvel at the profound intricacies of this artistic revelation.
Cai Guo-Qiang, Ye Gong Hao Long (Mr. Ye Who Loves Dragons), 2003.
Estimate HK$9,000,000 – 14,000,000
20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, Hong Kong.
In January 2003, within the expansive Turbine Hall of Tate Modern, artist Cai Guo-Qiang birthed Ye Gong Hao Long by sprinkling gunpowder on xuan paper, depicting a dragon in a dance of creation and destruction. The piece unraveled threads of Eastern mythology and Western perceptions, revealing the intricate interplay of symbolism, myth, and history in Cai’s explosive artistry.
As incense ignited the gunpowder, a symphony of sound, light, and smoke ensued, leaving behind the captivating image of a mid-air suspended dragon, rendered eternal on a 15-meter-long paper surface. The transient act of burning gunpowder finds permanence on Cai's xuan paper, encapsulating a tangible timestamp of materiality and temporality.
“The aesthetics of explosions are always somewhat imperfect, which is a relief.”
—Cai Guo-Qiang
Alchemy of Creation and Destruction
Growing up in Fujian, a province famous for its manufacturing of fireworks, Cai became acquainted with gunpowder from a young age. Immersed in a cultural milieu where fireworks, symbolising celebration and commemoration, marked significant life events, Cai experienced the dichotomous nature of this “Fire Medicine” — both destructive and constructive. His adolescence, shaped by the tumultuous Cultural Revolution, was punctuated by the commonplace sounds of cannon blasts and explosions, further intensifying his connection with this volatile medium.
A recurring motif in Cai’s oeuvre is the representation of the dragon, an icon that he navigates to both embrace heritage and explore interpretative flexibility. This frequent deployment of dragon imagery is a reflection of his observations on the variances in perception between East and West, particularly as a Chinese artist living in America. While dragons are celebrated as prosperous symbols in East Asia, they are often viewed as ferocious and malevolent through Western lenses.
Cai Guo-Qiang, Ye Gong Hao Long (Mr. Ye Who Loves Dragons) (detail), 2003.
Estimate HK$9,000,000 – 14,000,000
20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, Hong Kong.
"I am looking for the unchanging through the always changing. The changes in nature are always changing, but the fact of change or evolution never does."
—Cai Guo-Qiang
The title Ye Gong Hao Long refers to an idiom from the Han Dynasty, unveiling the story of Mr. Ye, a proclaimed dragon lover, whose admiration was unmasked as fear when confronted with a real dragon.
Cai Guo-Qiang, Ye Gong Hao Long (Mr. Ye Who Loves Dragons) (detail), 2003.
Estimate HK$9,000,000 – 14,000,000
20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, Hong Kong.
A Prelude to Spectacular Displays: From Canvas to Grand Pyrotechnics
Ye Gong Hao Long is one of two “gunpowder drawings” birthed during the Tate event, serving not only as a magnificent exemplar of Cai’s signature technique but also as a precursor to a grand outdoor pyrotechnic display of the same name, executed two days later. Commissioned by the Tate Gallery as part of the Tate & Egg Live program, Cai choreographed a thirty-second-long explosion that danced across the Millennium Bridge over the River Thames, culminating in a dragon-esque trail that embraced the museum façade, wrapping around its tower before dissipating into smoke. This explosive inauguration to 2003, with its captivating anticipation of Chinese New Year, heralded a year of prolific creativity for Cai, featuring two more major gunpowder commissions in New York’s Central Park and the Siwa Art Project in the Sahara Desert.
Image of Ye Gong Hao Long (Mr Ye Who Loves Dragons): Explosion Project for Tate Modern, London.
Tate Modern, 29 January 2003
Artwork: © Cai Guo-Qiang
A Legacy of Timeless Artistry
Cai’s works, a harmonious blend of the transient and the eternal, have been exhibited globally and are part of prestigious collections, including Faurschau Museum, Uffizi Galleries, MoMA, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Pinault Collection, M+ Museum, and Tate Collection.
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