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Cai Guo-Qiang — Red Bird 2022, 2026
Cai Guo-Qiang — Red Bird 2022, 2026
Cai Guo-Qiang — Red Bird 2022, 2026
Cai Guo-Qiang

Red Bird 2022, 2026

2026

This monumental work deploys controlled gunpowder detonation to create a dynamic burst composition dominated by vivid reds and deep grays. Abstract forms radiate outward from a central vortex, with particulate matter and color clouds dispersing across the canvas in organic, explosive patterns. Delicate halos of pigment intermingle with charred residue, creating layered atmospheric effects that suggest both destruction and generation. The work exemplifies the artist's return to chromatic intensity after years working primarily in blacks and grays, maintaining the signature tension between violence and beauty inherent to the gunpowder painting technique.

Medium
Gunpowder on canvas
Overall

Notes

White Cube solo presentation of Cai Guo-Qiang at TEFAF New York 2026, Stand 355, Park Avenue Armory, May 14–19, 2026. Made 2022 to 2026. Framed: 154.3 x 124.2 x 7 cm.

For Sale — $400000

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About this work

Cai Guo-Qiang, Red Bird 2022, 2026, 2026

This monumental work deploys controlled gunpowder detonation to create a dynamic burst composition dominated by vivid reds and deep grays. Abstract forms radiate outward from a central vortex, with particulate matter and color clouds dispersing across the canvas in organic, explosive patterns. Delicate halos of pigment intermingle with charred residue, creating layered atmospheric effects that suggest both destruction and generation. The work exemplifies the artist's return to chromatic intensity after years working primarily in blacks and grays, maintaining the signature tension between violence and beauty inherent to the gunpowder painting technique.

Medium
Gunpowder on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 151.7 x 121.6 cm
Year
2026
Seen at
White Cube, London, United Kingdom

Related themes

Living Artist, Blue Chip, Atmospheric, Gunpowder Painting, International Contemporary, Mixed Media, Chinese Artist, Conceptual Art, Destruction Creation, Canvas, Abstract Expressionism, Pyrotechnic Art, Color Field, Contemporary Painting, Red Color, Explosive Art, Contemporary Art, Large Scale, Performance Based, Experimental Technique

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