CAI GUO QIANG IN SOME/THINGS MAGAZINE ISSUE002 / THE BLACK BOOK

ASCENDING A STAIRCASE / REALISED AT THE 69TH REGIMENT ARMORY, NEW YORK 2000/12/1 / STAIRCASE LENGTH 18M, WIDTH 99CM, WOODEN LADDER & GUNPOWDER FUSE 30M / VIDEO BY ARAKI TAKAHISA


RAINA LAMPKINS-FIELDER / WHAT ELEMENTS FROM YOUR UPBRINGING HAVE HELPED TO FORM YOUR VIEW OF THE WORLD? IS SPIRITUALITY IMPORTANT TO YOU?

CAI GUO QIANG / MY GRANDMA, WHO IS 96 THIS YEAR, HAS HAD A HUGE INFLUENCE ON ME. SHE'S AN INDEPENDENT SPIRIT WHO'S CARVED OUT A PATH FOR HERSELF IN HER TIME. FOR INSTANCE, SHE PRACTISED CHRISTIANITY IN A REMOTE CHINESE FISHING VILLAGE WHERE PEOPLE HAVE HARDLY HEARD OF JESUS. DURING THE ERA OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION, SHE EVEN WORKED AS A VENDOR IN THE FISH MARKET. MY GRANDPA DIED IN HIS EARLY 30'S, BUT MY GRANDMA STILL TALKS TO HIM EVERY DAY AS IF HE HAD NEVER LEFT. HER BELIEF IN THE UNKNOWN WORLD, & HOW SHE IS COMFORTED BY IT, INFLUENCE THE WAY I THINK OF THE WORLD & RELIGION.

RL-F / YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS IS UNIQUE. WHAT IS YOUR METHODOLOGY?

CGQ / MY AMBITION IS— NO LAW IS THE LAW, BORROW THE STRENGTH OF OTHERS, CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT. THESE ARE NOT ONLY MY PERCEPTIONS OF THE WORLD, BUT ALSO MY METHODOLOGY OF REPRESENTING THE WORLD, THUS AMOUNTING TO THE UNCERTAINTY, UNPREDICTABILITY, & SPATIO-TEMPORAL CHAOS IN MY WORK. OF COURSE, THIS KIND OF TOLERANCE, BECAUSE OF ITS ALL-INCLUSIVENESS, CAN SOMETIMES MAKE ME APPEAR QUITE UNPRINCIPLED.


/ EXCERPT FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH CAI GUO QIANG BY RAINA LAMPKINS-FIELDER. ENTIRE ARTICLE ONLY IN THE PRINTED EDITION OF SOME/THINGS MAGAZINE ISSUE002 / THE BLACK BOOK






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