TAB Event - "Light Passage - Cai Guo-Qiang & Shiseido" Exhibition

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At Shiseido Gallery
Media: Painting, Drawing, Installation, Video installation

Cai Guo-Qiang, born in China's Fujian province and regarded as one of China's foremost contemporary artists, is known for creating dynamic exploding installations featuring gunpowder (known as one of China's "four great inventions"). He was the producer of the magnificent fireworks finale that closed the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) held in Shanghai in 2001. In 2008, the name Cai Guo-Qiang will become even more well known around the world as he launches a major retrospective exhibition, opening at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York before traveling to China National Museum of Fine Arts in Beijing and Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain. Cai will also serve as a visual director for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Yet even amidst the pressures of preparing for such major events, Cai will also return to Japan, after a five-year hiatus, to exhibit at the Shiseido Gallery.

Shiseido Gallery's relationship with Cai Guo-Qiang dates back to his participation in 1994's Promenade in Asia exhibition, and in the years since that time Shiseido has continued to support his major exhibitions, both in Japan and abroad. Since its original opening in 1919, the Shiseido Gallery has offered opportunities for up-and-coming artists to present their works and supported the blossoming of artistic talent. In this capacity, the Gallery has proved a wellspring for the emergence of numerous highly talented artists, among whom Cai Guo-Qiang is an important and quintessential example.

The title "Light Passage" comes from a Chinese phrase referring to the passage of time, and it was chosen by Cai himself to incorporate his desire to reflect back upon the relationship that he and the Shiseido Gallery have cultivated over the years. The exhibit will consider the passage of time through four panels, representing the four seasons, upon which Cai has created drawings using his unusual technique of laying down and igniting lines of gunpowder. These will be joined by an installation of golden boats, suspended from the ceiling and flowing from the upper landing down the stairs into the exhibition hall, representing the flow of time. Additionally, a video will also be shown documenting Cai's exhibition history and the role Shiseido has played in supporting him over the years.

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