Cai Guo-Qiang Quotes

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Cai Guo-Qiang

Profession : Artist

Birth : December 8, 1957

When I was young, the constraints of Chinese society and my personal timid and cautious nature both drove me to seek a means to go against control. Gunpowder has an inherent uncertainty and uncontrollability and is an important means for me to relieve myself of constraint.

Cai Guo-Qiang

The role of art in society is not to resolve conflicts; rather, it is to express these conflicts and antagonisms.

Cai Guo-Qiang

For an artist, a good place to be is you have some kind of influence and power to get things done, but in your essence you remain a nomad or a soldier facing a difficulty to be overcome.

Cai Guo-Qiang

I was growing up in a society that exerted a lot of control on people, and from both my personality and the social condition, I found gunpowder gradually as a very suitable medium for exploration.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Computer animation is one way to liberate people from their circumstantial gravity, and it is one way to give them mental freedom.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Any work that is born out of natural serendipity or reverts to simpler times is poignant for people - in any era.

Cai Guo-Qiang

The boyhood dream of becoming a painter stays important to me.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Many artists, when they are creating art, are searching for a vehicle that can manifest a feeling they have inside of themselves.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Only individual creativity can bring about real social development.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Even though China was a very closed country, they thought of themselves as the center of the world. It is an ethnic characteristic. After I went to Japan, I had a totally different view. The Japanese are always talking about what the Western world is doing. There is the anxious feeling of an outsider.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Using gunpowder as a medium became a way to liberate myself.

Cai Guo-Qiang

I have always found that if, while creating an artwork, the artist constantly feels that some accident would occur if he is not careful, then it is a very significant moment and a significant work.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Through art, through people working together and building relationships and trust, people can overcome the problems of politics.

Cai Guo-Qiang

In any country, in any city, there will be political influence on what is said, what kind of images are to be projected and, yes, of course artists can be and are influenced by politicians.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Only an idiot would open an exhibition saying, 'Look at my awesome work.'

Cai Guo-Qiang

I'm always oscillating between if I should sprinkle more gunpowder or less. But if I put too much gunpowder, there may be holes throughout the silk. If not enough, the power and energy would not be shown.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Even though Chinese society was really closed, there were two windows for me to explore the world. One was from my mother and grandmother, the unseen and invisible world. Another window was brought from my father's side, those classic and Western books.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Everyone has their moments of solitude, difficulties, and vulnerability.

Cai Guo-Qiang

For my art, there is a common theme most of the time: it is using the things we can see to search for the world we cannot see.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Temporality and the transformation of energy are two very important aspects in my work.

Cai Guo-Qiang