Cai Guo-Qiang was born in 1957 in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, China. He was trained in stage design at the Shanghai Theater Academy, and his work has since crossed multiple mediums within art, including drawing, installation, video and performance art. While living in Japan from 1986 to 1995, he explored the properties of gunpowder in his drawings, an inquiry that eventually led to his experimentation with explosives on a massive scale and to the development of his signature explosion events. Drawing upon Eastern philosophy and contemporary social issues as a conceptual basis, these projects and events aim to establish an exchange between viewers and the larger universe around them, utilizing a site-specific approach to culture and history. He currently lives and works in New York.

Cai was awarded the Japan Cultural Design Prize in 1995 and the Golden Lion at the 48th Venice Biennale in 1999. In the following years, he has received the 7th Hiroshima Art Prize (2007), the 20th Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize (2009), and AICA’s first place for Best Project in a Public Space for Cai Guo-Qiang: Fallen Blossoms (2010). He also curated the first China Pavilion at the 51st Venice Biennale, 2005, and held the distinguished position as Director of Visual and Special Effects for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In 2012, Cai was honored as one of five Laureates for the prestigious Praemium Imperiale, an award that recognizes lifetime achievement in the arts in categories not covered by the Nobel Prize. Additionally, he was also among the five artists who received the first U.S. Department of State – Medal of Arts award for his outstanding commitment to international cultural exchange.

Among his many solo exhibitions and projects include Cai Guo-Qiang on the Roof: Transparent Monument, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2006 and his retrospective I Want to Believe, which opened at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York in February 2008 before traveling to the National Art Museum of China in Beijing in August 2008 and then to the Guggenheim Bilbao in March 2009. In 2011, Cai appeared in the solo exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang: Saraab at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, Qatar, his first ever in a Middle Eastern country. In 2012, the artist appeared in three solo exhibitions:Cai Guo-Qiang: Sky Ladder (The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles), Cai Guo-Qiang: Spring (Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou, China), and A Clan of Boats (Faurschou Foundation, Copenhagen, Denmark).

His first-ever solo exhibition in Brazil, Cai Guo-Qiang: Da Vincis do Povo, went on a three-city tour around the country in 2013, traveling from Brasilia to São Paulo before reaching its final destination in Rio de Janeiro. In October 2013, Cai created One Night Stand (Aventure d’un Soir), an explosion event for Nuit Blanche, a citywide art and culture festival organized by the city of Paris.

His exhibition, Falling Back to Earth opened in November 2013 at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art in Australia. He currently lives and works in New York.

1957
• Born in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China

1981-1985
• Department of Stage Design, Shanghai Theatre Academy, Shanghai, China

1989-1991
• School of Art and Design, University of Tsukuba, Japan

1993
• Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, France

1995-1996
• P.S.1 The Institute for Contemporary Art: National and International Studio Program, Asian Cultural Council Grant, New York, USA

2008
• Core member of the creative team and Director of Visual and Special Effects for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics, Beijing, China

2009
• Director of fireworks festivities for China’s 60th National Day, Beijing, China

2010
• Fireworks Artistic Director, Taiwan
• Core member of the creative team, Taipei International Flora Exposition, Taiwan

1995-
• Residence New York, USA

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2019
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Cuyahoga River Lightning”, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, USA
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: The Transient Landscape”, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
• “In the Volcano: Cai Guo-Qiang and Pompeii”, National Archaeological Museum of Naples, Naples, Italy

2018-2019
• “Flora Commedia: Cai Guo-Qiang at the Uffizi”, The Uffizi Galleries, Florence, Italy

2017-2018
• “The Spirit of Painting. Cai Guo-Qiang at the Prado”, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain

2017
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: October”, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia

2016-2017
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: My Stories of Painting”, Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht, The Netherlands

2015-2016
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Peasant da Vincis”, Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, Milan, Italy

2015
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Penglai / Hōrai”, Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art KINARE, Niigata, Japan
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: There and Back Again”, Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama, Japan
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Unmanned Nature”, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, UK

2014-2015
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Impromptu”, Fundación Proa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

2014
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: The Ninth Wave”, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Moving Ghost Town”, Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, USA

2013-2014
• “Falling Back to Earth”, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia

2013
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Da Vincis do Povo”, Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil and Museu dos Correios, Brasilia / São Paulo / Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2012
• “A Clan of Boats”, Faurschou Foundation, Copenhagen, Denmark
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Spring”, Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou, China
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Sky Ladder”, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), Los Angeles, USA

2011-2012
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Saraab”, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar

2011
• “Move Along, Nothing to See Here”, Cohen Gallery, Brown University, Providence, USA
• “Cai Guo-Qiang–1040M Underground”, IZOLYATSIA. Platform for Cultural Intiatives, Donetsk, Ukraine

2010-2011
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Sunshine and Solitude”, Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City, Mexico
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Travels in the Mediterranean”, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Nice, France

2010
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Odyssey”, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Head On”, National Museum of Singapore, Singapore
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Peasant Da Vincis”, Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai, China

2009-2010
• “Fallen Blossoms”, Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, USA
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Hanging Out in the Museum”, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

2008-2009
• “The 7th Hiroshima Prize”, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima City, Japan
• “I Want to Believe”, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA, Traveled to National Art Museum of China, Beijing / Guggenheim Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain

2007
• “Light Passage: Cai Guo-Qiang & Shiseido”, Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Inopportune: Stage One”, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, USA

2006
• “Captured Wind Arrested Shadow: Cai Guo-Qiang and Lin Hwai-min’s Wind Shadow”, ESLITE GALLERY, Taipei, Taiwan
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Head On”, Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin, Germany
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Long Scroll”, National Gallery of Canada, Quebec, Canada
• “Cai Guo-Qiang on the Roof: Transparent Monument”, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Stage”, San Gimignano Mountain and Galleria Continua, San Gimignano, Italy
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Inopportune”, SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, USA

2005
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Life Beneath the Shadow”, Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Paradise”, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: On Black Fireworks”, Institut Valencià d’Art Modern,Valencià, Spain

2004-2005
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Inopportune”, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams, USA
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Traveler”, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., USA

2003
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: An Explosion Event: Light Cycle Over Central Park”, Asia Society Museum, New York, USA
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: For Your Pleasure Matrix 204”, Berkeley Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley, USA

2002
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Ethereal Flowers”, Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea, Trento, Italy
• “Cai Guo-Qiang’s CHADO Pavilion: Homage to Tenshin Okakura”, Hakone Open-Air Museum, Japan
• “Cai Guo-Qiang”, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China

2001-2002
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: An Arbitrary History”, Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon, Lyon, France; S.M.A.K. (Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst), Ghent, Belgium

2001
• “Cai Guo-Qiang:Iwaki Ninety-Nine Pagodas”, Gallery Iwaki, Iwaki, Japan
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Impression Oil Drawings”, Charles H. Scott Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Performing Chinese Ink Painting”, Contemporary Art Gallery and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Vancouver, Canada

2000
• “Cai Guo-Qiang”, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, France

1999
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: I Am the Y2K Bug”, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria

1998
• “Day Dreaming: Cai Guo-Qiang”, ESLITE GALLERY, Taipei, Taiwan

1997
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Cultural Melting Bath: Projects for the 20th Century”, Queens Museum of Art, New York, USA
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Flying Dragon in the Heavens”, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark

1994
• “Chaos: Cai Guo-Qiang”, Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Concerning Flame”, Tokyo Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: From the Pan-Pacific”, Iwaki City Art Museum, Fukushima, Japan
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Calendar of Life”, Gallery APA, Nagoya, Japan

1993
• “Cai Guo-Qiang”, Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum, Naoshima, Japan
• “Long Mai: The Dragon Meridian”, P3 art and environment, Tokyo, Japan

1992
• “Wailing Wall: From the Engine of Four Hundred Cars”, IBM Kawasaki Gallery, Kawasaki, Japan

1991
• “Primeval Fireball: The Project for Projects”, P3 art and environment, Tokyo, Japan

1990
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Works 1988/89”, Osaka Contemporary Art Center, Osaka, Japan

1989
• “Explosions and Space Holes”, Kigoma, Tokyo, Japan

1987
• “Cai Guo-Qiang: Gunpowder Art”, Kigoma, Tokyo, Japan
• “Cai Guo-Qiang’s Painting”, Office of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, Tokyo, Japan

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2019
• 「物之魅力：當代中國材質藝術」巡展，洛杉磯縣立藝術博物館，美國
• “Daisuke Miyatsu Collection x Kasama Museum: Blending the quintessence of modern and contemporary art”, Kasama Nichido Museum of Art, Kasama, Japan
• “30th Anniversary Exhibition: The Seven Lamps of the Art Museum”, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima City, Japan

2018
• “Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, A Beautiful Elsewhere”, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China

2017-2018
• “From Life”, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
• “Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World”, The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA

2017
• “Asia Corridor Contemporary Art Exhibition [Culture City of East Asia 2017, Tokyo], Nijo Castle (Nijo-jo)”, Kyoto Art Center, Kyoto, Japan
• “Highlights: La Collection de la Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain”, Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), Seoul, Korea

2016-2017
• “The End of the World”, Centro Pecci, Prato, Italy
• “The Great Animal Orchestra”, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, France

2016
• “Culture City of East Asia 2016”, Todaiji Temple, Nara, Japan

2015-2016
• “Scenes for a New Heritage: Contemporary Art from the Collection”, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA

2015
• “Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2015”, Tsunan Mountain Park, Niigata, Japan
• “Harmony and Transition: Chinese Landscape in Contemporary Art”, MARTa Herford, Herfod, Germany
• “Arts & Foods: Rituals since 1851”, Triennale de Milano, Milano, Italy
• “Parasophia: Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture”, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Kyoto Japan
• “Heaven and Hell. From Magic Carpets to Drones”, Boghossian Foundation, Brussels, Belgium

2014-2015
• “Manifest Intention: Drawing in All Its Forms”, Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Rivoli, Turin, ITaly

2014
• “China’s Changing Landscape”, Nordiska Akvarellmuseet, Skärhamn, Sweden

2014
• “Bloom: ESLITE GALLERY 25th Anniversary”, ESLITE GALLERY, Taipei, Taiwan
• “Frank Gebry: Solaris Chronicles”, Atelier de la Mécanique, Parc des Ateliers, Arles, France
• “Vivid Memories”, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, France
• “I Look At Things…”, Faurschou Foundation, Copenhagen, Denmark
• “Ravaged”, M-Museum Leuven, Belgium

2013
• “Ink Art: Past as Present in Contemporary China”, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
• “Portrait of the Times – 30 Years of Chinese Contemporary Art”, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China
• “White Light/ White Heat”, Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti, Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti, Venice, Italy

2012
• “Dialogues with Contemporary Art from Museum Collection”, Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
• “Extra-Large”, Forum Grimaldi Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco
• “Longing for Perfection, 21 Years of Collecting by the Kröller-Müller Museum”, Kröller-Muller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands
• “Swept Away: Dust, Ashes, and Dirt in Contemporary Art and Design”, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA

2011
• “Windflower, Perceptions of Nature”, Kröller-Muller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands
• “Invisibleness is Visibleness: International Contemporary Art Collection of a Salaryman – Daisuke Miyatsu”, Agora Art Project x Space, Taipei, Taiwan
• “RegressProgress”, Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw, Poland
• “Water, Fire and the Earth”, Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, Japan

2010-2011
• “Nuit Electriques”, Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, Russia; LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial, Gijón, Spain
• “Collector’s Choice / Collector’s Voice”, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA

2010
• “Berliner Bilder”, Koidl Kunsthalle, Berlin, Germany
• “Arts and Cities”, Aichi Triennial, Nagoya
• “Post Monument”, XIV International Sculpture Biennale of Carrara, Carrara, Italy
• “Alpha Omega”, DESTE Foundation Centre For Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece
• “The Beauty of Distance Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age”, The 17th Biennale of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

2009
• “The Sky within My House” Contemporary Art in 16 Patios of Cordoba”, Municipal Archive of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
• “Bike Rides”, Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, USA
• The 4th Fukuoka Asian Art Triennial, Fukuoka, Japan
• “Stages”, Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris, France, Traveled to 69th Regiment Armory / Deitch Projects, New York, USA, Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami, USA
• “Meeting Point”, 10th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba

2008-2009
• “Prospect.1 New Orleans”, New Orleans, USA

2008
• “Academia. Qui es-tu?”, La Chapelle de l’Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France
• “New Ink Art: Innovation and Beyond.”, Hong Kong Art: Open Dialogue Exhibition Series II, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, China
• “God & Goods: Spirituality and Mass Confusion”, Villa Manin Centro d’Arte Contemporanea, Cordoipo, Italy
• “Blood on Paper: The Art of the Book”, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
• “Martian Museum of Terrestrial Art”, Barbican Gallery, London, UK

2007
• “Artempo: Where Time Becomes Art”, Palazzo Fortuny, Venice, Italy
• “6 Billion Perps Held Hostage! Artists Address Global Warming”, Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, USA
• “Journeys: Mapping the Earth and Mind in Chinese Art”, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

2006-2007
• “Searching for Dreams in the Canals”, Suzhou Museum, Suzhou, China
• “Shu: Reinventing Books in Contemporary Chinese Art”, China Institute Gallery, New York / Seattle Asian Art Museum, Seattle, USA
• “Out of Time: A Contemporary View”, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA

2006
• “Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2006”, Tsunan Mountain Park, Niigata Prefecture, Niigata, Japan
• “Opening Exhibition: Eldorado”, Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg
• “Min Tai Yuan Museum Collection (Inaugural Exhibition)”, Min Tai Yuan Museum, Quanzhou, China

2005
• “Arte all’Arte 10”, Tuscany, Italy
• “Translation”, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
• “(my private) Heroes”, MARTa Herford, Herford, Germany
• “Trading Place: Contemporary Art Museum”, Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, Taiwan
• “DreamingNow”, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, USA

2004-2005
• “Past in Reverse: Contemporary Art of East Asia”, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, USA

2004
• “26th Bienal de São Paulo: Free Territory”, Pavilhão Ciccillo Matarazzo, Parque do Ibirapuera, São Paulo, Brazil
• “The Snow Show: Harvested Ice”, Rovaniemi, Finland

2003
• “Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2003”, Tsunan Mountain Park, Niigata Prefecture, Niigata, Japan
• “Alors, la Chine?”, Centre national d’art et de culture Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
• “Pulse, Art, Healing, and Transformation”, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, USA
• “Tate & Egg Live 2003”, Tate Modern and Tate Britain, London, UK

2002-2003
• “Ce Qui Arrive (Unknown Quantity)”, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, France
• “The First Guangzhou Triennial. Reinterpretation: A Decade of Experimental Chinese Art”, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China

2002
• “Paris-Pékin”, Espace Cardin, Paris, France
• “3e Biennale de Montréal”, Cité Multimédia dans le Vieux-Montréal, Montréal, Canada
• “The Galleries Show”, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
• “The Power of Art: The 2nd Inaugural Show of the Prefectural Museum of Art”, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Kobe, Japan
• “Tokachi International Contemporary Art Exhibition: Demeter”, Obihiro Racetrack and Nishimaki Park, Hokkaidō, Japan
• “Red Continent: Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition”, Gwangju Art Museum, Gwangju, Korea
• “Magnete: artisti stranieri in Toscana 1945–2000”, Fattoria di Celle, Santomato, Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy
• “EV+A 2002: Heroes + Holies”, Limerick, Ireland
• “Art that Heals”, Apexart, New York, USA
• “Painting without Painting”, Museum der bildende Künste Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

2001-2003
• “The Gift: Generous Offerings, Threatening Hospitality”, Palazzo delle Papesse, Centro Arte Contemporanea, Siena/ Centro Culturale Candiani, Venice, Italy; Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale/ Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York/ Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA; Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton,Canada

2001-2002
• “Form Follows Fiction”, Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Turin, Italy
• “Arte all’Arte 6”, Tuscany, Italy

2001
• “Yokohama 2001, International Triennale of Contemporary Art: Mega Wave: Towards a New Synthesis”, Yokohama, Japan
• “Plateau of Humankind, 49th Venice Biennale”, Giardini di Castello, Arsenale, Venice, Italy
• “Sonsbeek 9:LocusFocus”, Sonsbeek Park, Arnhem, The Netherlands
• “Uncommon Threads: Contemporary Artists and Clothing”, Herbet F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA

2000-2001
• “Shanghai Biennale 2000: Shanghai Spirit”, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China
• “Open Ends: MoMA 2000”, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA

2000
• “Media City Seoul 2000”, Seoul Metropolitan Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea
• “Lustwarande / Pleasure-Garden”, De Oude Warandepark, Tilburg, The Netherlands
• “Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2000”, Tsunan Mountain Park, Niigata Prefecture, Niigata, Japan
• “The Quiet in the Land: Everyday Life, Contemporary Art and Project Axé”, Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia, Salvador da Bahia, Brazil
• “Sharing Exoticisms. 5th Lyon Biennale d’art contemporain”, Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon, Lyon, France
• “La Ville, le Jardin, la Memoire: Le Jardin”, Académie de France à Rome, Villa Médicis, Rome, Italy
• “Art Unlimited, Art 31 Basel”, Art Basel, Messe Basel, Switzerland
• “Erresistentziak / Resistencias (Acts of Resistance)”, Koldo Mitxelena Kulturunea Erakustaret, Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
• “Biennale of Sydney 2000”, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
• “Outbound: Passages from the 90s”, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Houston, USA
• “Kunstwegen”, Public Art Project, Nordhorn, Germany; Zwolle, The Netherlands
• “Over the Edges”, S.M.A.K., Ghent, Belgium
• “Pioneers of Chinese Contemporary Art”, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan
• “2000 Biennial Exhibition”, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA
• “Gratitude”, one day event and exhibition, Taiwan Museum of Art, Taichung, Taiwan

1999-2000
• “Zeitwenden”, Kunstmuseum Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Stiftung Ludwig Wein, Vienna, Italy
• “Hiriya in the Museum: Artists’ and Architects’ Proposals for Rehabilitation of the Site”, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, Israel
• “Kunst-Welten im Dialog”, Museum Ludwig Köln, Cologne, Germany
• “Beyond the Future: The Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art”, Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane, Australia
• “International Currents in Contemporary Art”, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain

1999
• “Looking for a Place: The Third International Biennial”, SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, USA
• “Aperto Over All, 48th Venice Biennale”, Arsenale, Venice, Italy
• “Panorama 2000: Art in Utrecht Seen from the Dom Tower”, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands
• “De Opening”, S.M.A.K. , Ghent, Belgium

1998-2000
• “Issey Miyake Making Things”, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, France; ACE Gallery, New York, USA; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
• “Inside Out: New Chinese Art”, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York and Asia Society, New York/ Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, USA; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrery, Monterrery, Mexico; Tacoma Art Museum and Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, USA; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
• “La Ville, le Jardin, la Mémoire, Académie de France à Rome, Villa Médicis, Rome, Italy

1998
• “Remanence”, Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia
• “Crossings”, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
• “Global Vision: New Art from the 90’s Part II”, Deste Foundation Centre for Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece
• “Site of Desire: 1998 Taipei Biennial”, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
• “Where Heaven and Earth Meet”, Center for Curatorial Studies Art Museum, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, USA
• “Wounds: Between Democracy and Redemption in Contemporary Art”, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden

1997-1999
• “Cities on the Move”, Secession, Exhibition Hall for Contemporary Art, Vienna, Austria; Museum of Contemporary Art, Bordeaux, France; Nov. 26, 1997–Jan. 18, 1998. P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, USA; Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma–Finnish National Gallery, Helsinki, Finland; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark; Hayward Gallery, London, UK

1997-1998
• “Performance Anxiety”, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago/ Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, USA

1997
• “5th International Istanbul Biennial: On Life, Beauty, Translation, and Other Difficulties”, Istanbul, Turkey
• “Future, Past, Present, 47th Venice Biennale”, Giardini di Castelo, Arsenale, Venice, Italy
• “Promenade in Asia II”, Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1996-1997
• “The Hugo Boss Prize 1996”, Guggenheim Museum SoHo, New York, USA
• “De Rode Poort (The Red Gate)”, S.M.A.K., Ghent, Belgium
• “The Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art”, Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane, Australia
• “Between Earth and the Heavens: Aspects of Contemporary Japanese Art II”, Nagoya City Art Museum, Nagoya, Japan; Rufino Tamayo Art Museum, Mexico City, Mexico

1996
• “Origins and Myths of Fire: New Art from Japan, China and Korea”, Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan
• “23rd Bienal Internacional de São Paulo: Universalis”, Pavilhão Ciccillo Matarazzo, Parque do Ibirapuera, São Paulo, Brazil
• “In the Ruins of the Twentieth Century. Twentieth Annual International Studio Artists Exhibition OFF-SITE”, P.S.1 The Institute for Contemporary Art, New York, USA

1995
• “Contemplation”, Ho-Am Museum, Seoul, Korea
• “Ripple Across the Water”, Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
• “TransCulture, The 46th Venice Biennale”, Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, Venice, Italy
• “Art in Japan Today 1985–1995”, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
• “The Ever-Changing, Drifting Heat: The First Johannesburg Biennale”, Electric Workshop, Johannesburg, South Africa

1994-1995
• “Heart of Darkness”, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands

1994
• “Creativity in Asian Art Now”, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, Japan
• “Well-Spring”, Bath Festival Exhibition, Bath, UK
• “Mito Annual ’94: Open System”, Art Tower Mito Contemporary Art Center, Mito, Japan
• “Making New Kyoto ’94”, Kyoto City Hall, Kyoto, Japan
• “Promenade in Asia”, Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1993
• “Outdoor Workshop ’93”, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shigaraki, Japan
• “Silent Energy”, Museum of Modern Art Oxford, Oxford, UK

1992
• “Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner Telekommunizierbarkeit”, Transformator–Verein zur Förderung aktueller Kunst, St. Veit/Glan, Vienna, Austria
• “Looking for Tree of Life: A Journey to Asian Contemporary Art”, Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan
• “Encountering the Others: The Kassel International Art Exhibition”, Hannover-Münden/ Kassel, Germany

1991
• “Exceptional Passage: Chinese Avant-Garde Artists Exhibition”, Mitsubishi-jisho Artium and Kashii former train yard, Fukuoka, Japan
• “Asian Wave: China”, Tokyo Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1990
• “The 7th Japan Ushimado International Art Festival”, Ushimado, Okayama, Japan
• “Museum City Tenjin ’90: Circulation of Sensibility: Visual City, Functioning Art”, Fukuoka City Hall and Nagahama Port, Fukuoka, Japan
• “Chine demain pour hier”, Pourrières, France

1989
• “89 Tama River Fussa Outdoor Art Exhibition”, Fussa Minami Park and Kumagawa Shrine, Fussa, Tokyo, Japan
• “16th International Modern Art AU Show”, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

1987
• “55th Memorial Exhibition of Dokuritsu Art Association”, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

1985
• “The Jinjiang Area Youths’ Oil Paintings Exhibition”, Jinjiang, China
• “The Shanghai and Fujian Youth Modern Art Joint Exhibition”, Fuzhou City Museum, Fuzhou, China
• “Cai Guo-Qiang and Hong Hong Wu: Paintings”, Quanzhou Art Gallery, Quanzhou, China

AWARDS

2018
• Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, USA

2016
• Bonnefanten Award for Contemporary Art (BACA), Maastricht, The Netherlands
• The Japan Foundation Awards, Tokyo, Japan
• The Asia Arts Awards, China / USA

2015
• Barnett and Annalee Newman Foundation Award, USA

2012
• 24th Praemium Imperiale – Lifetime Achievement in the Arts (Painting), Japan
• U.S. Department of State ~ Medal of Arts, Washington, D.C., USA

2010
• First Place for Best Project in a Public Space (for Cai Guo-Qiang: Fallen Blossoms), AICA, USA

2009
• 20th Fukuoka Prize for Arts and Culture, Japan

2007
• Hiroshima Art Prize, Hiroshima City Culture Foundation, Japan

2005
• Best Monographic Museum Show (for Cai Guo-Qiang: Inopportune) and Best Installation or Single Work in a Museum (for Inopportune: Stage One), International Association of Art Critics, United States

2001
• CalArts/Alpert Award in the Arts, USA

1999
• Golden Lion, 48th Venice Biennale, Italy

1997
• Oribe Award, Japan

1995
• Japan Cultural Design Prize, Japan
• Benesse Prize in conjunction with TransCulture, 46th Venice Biennale, Italy

PUBLIC ART

2010
• “Ring Stone”, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, USA, commissioned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Public Art Program for Sloan School of Management
• “Odyssey”, Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Arts of China Gallery, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA, commissioned by Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

2007
• “One Stone”, Bronx Criminal Court, New York, USA, commissioned by the City of New York: Percent for Art Program Commission, for building designed by Rafael Vi ñoly

2003
• “Lighthouse”, Bandai, Niigata, commissioned by the city of Niigata
• “High Mountain Flowing Wate: 3-D Landscape Painting”, Roppongi Hills, Mori Arts Center, Tokyo, Japan, commissioned by Mori Arts Center

2002
• “Turtle Fountain”, Dentsu Headquarters, Shiodome district, Tokyo, Japan, commissioned by Dentsu

2000
• “Skylight”, Oak Forest, Gramsbergen / Laar, The Netherlands, realized Sept. 1999, official opening June 2000, commissioned by Städtische Galerie Nordhorn, for the public art project Kunstwegen

1999
• “Dragon Boat”, Hakataza Theatre, Hakata Riverain, Fukuoka, Japan, commissioned by Hakata Riverain, Fukuoka

1998
• “Eighteen Saints”, Tocho-ji Temple, Tokyo, Japan, commissioned by Tocho-ji Temple

1994
• “Lion: Feng Shui Project for Mito:Chang Sheng”, Mito Train Station, Mito, Japan, commissioned by Art Tower Mito Contemporary Art Center for the exhibition “Mito Annual ’94: Open System”