Cai Guo-Qiang is not the only artist who plays with fireworks, but he truly brings firework installations to another level. He uses fireworks to create large-scale, outdoor explosion arts that are not only spectacular to look at but also full of strong subtext.

A self-portrait of Cai made from fireworks.

Transient Rainbow – 2002 Commissioned by MoMA to celebrate the opening of MoMA Queens

Fallen Blossoms – 2009 In Philadelphia Museum of Art

My personal favorites of his works are the ones that involve staircases.

Ascending a staircase – 2000

Cai did some smaller-scale attempts back in the late 90s. Using around 20 years, he managed to finish the world’s largest single installation at the time, the Sky Ladder.

Sky Ladder – 2015 500 x 5.5 m

Realized at his hometown, Quanzhou, Sky Ladder was Cai’s gift to his 100-year-old grandmother. It is also Cai’s dream, connecting the Earth and the Universe through his art, come true.

Sources

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https://www.netflix.com/title/80097472