Special Event: Explosion Event by Cai Guo-Qiang
2,889 views · Published 1 December 2012 · 14:10 · Indexed 22 September 2026
Channel: Smithsonian · 2012 · Education
In celebration of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery's 25th anniversary, Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang staged one of his remarkable "explosion events," a thrilling combination of pyrotechnics, artistry, and optical illusion in four dimensions. A live 40-foot-tall pine tree erupted in an effervescent shimmer of fireworks as if in a tree-lighting ceremony, followed by a cascade of black ink-like smoke that mimics the flowing beauty of traditional Chinese brush drawings. The tree-shaped cloud of smoke drifting through the air created a spectral scene of two trees, one real and one ethereal. The event was streamed live at asia.si.edu/Sackler25. The event was planned in honor of the Sackler's 25th and Art in Embassies' 50th anniversaries, and is a highlight of both organizations' anniversary week programming. The site-specific staging was part of Cai's larger series of "explosion events," which have been featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC; Central Park in New York City curated by Creative Time; and numerous international institutions.
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