An image of a cover of a book that reads: "Cai Guo-Qiang Fallen Blossoms." The cover imagery is of paper that has burn marks.

An image of a book spread featuring one full bleed photograph. The photo is of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a grand building with columns on a blue-sky day. In front of the columns is an explosion in the shape of a flower (like a firework) with lots of hazy smoke around it.

A two-page spread of text that reads: "FALLEN BLOSSOMS: EXPLOSION PROJECT (EM), 2009 The exhibition was divided into two parts, with one part taking place at the PMA and the other at the FWM. The works at the PMA, especially the explosion project, were much shorter in comparison to the works presented at the FWM. The explosion project was realized at the PMA's east entrance, which faces the heart of Philadelphia. A giant flower quickly blossomed as the audience witnessed a very strong explosion emanate from the center of the flower to the periphery of its petals. Within a few seconds, the flames went on to shape the contours of the flower before the embers faded into silvery- white sparkles. The flower was meant as an instantaneous recollection of Kippy's nostalgia for Anne as well as an expression of their sentiments and emotions. It also reflected the serenity of the ebb and flow of life, and how lives can perish just as quickly as they flourish. In contemporary media we often see explosions portrayed as acts of terrorism because they destroy structures of political or cultural significance. But at the same time, if it were not for this era, artists would also not be able to think of explosions as acts of beauty. Here, the explosion project took place on the facade of the PMA, facing the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Because the street is a major axis that cuts through the cultural pulse of Philadelphia, the explosion symbolized a radiation of energy as the museum gave the city a gift of a blossoming flower in the dead of winter."

Cai Guo-Qiang: Fallen Blossoms

Description

Cai Guo-Qiang: Fallen Blossoms was published by the Fabric Workshop and Museum in early 2010, documenting the events and exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Fabric Workshop and Museum. Cai Guo-Qiang: Fallen Blossoms includes an introduction by Carlos Basualdo, the Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Curator of Contemporary Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and essays by Marion Boulton Stroud, Founder and former Artistic Director of The Fabric Workshop and Museum, art critic Wang Mingxian, and independent curator David Elliot. The catalogue also includes a statement by the artist and a selected exhibition history.

Exhibition catalogue published by the Fabric Workshop and Museum, 2010
Hardcover, 199 pages / color
Editor: Amy Wilkins
Designer: Takaaki Matsumoto

Contributors: Marion Boulton Stroud, Wang Mingxian, David Elliot, Carlos Basualdo.

ISBN: 978-0-9724556-5-7

Meet the Artist

A male artist watching his performance piece comprised of a stainless steel trough of silk charmeuse fabric with gunpowder scattered on top that has been lit on fire and is smoking. The performance is taking place indoors in a gallery and there is a large roped off crowd behind the artist.

Cai Guo-Qiang

Cai Guo-Qiang is a multi-disciplinary artist who works in drawing, video, installation, and performance. He is perhaps best recognized for his large-scale explosion events and gunpowder paintings, which have been performed for audiences around the world.

Learn more about the artist