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TEFAF New York 2026

TEFAF New York

14 – 19 May 2026

Location

Stand 355, Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue New York, NY 10065, United States

White Cube is pleased to return to TEFAF New York with a solo booth of works by New York-based artist Cai Guo-Qiang, comprising a selection of his bird gunpowder paintings made in the last few years.

These vibrant works depict avian flocks in successive states of flight and decay, while drawing on the artist’s research into the historic glazed blue tiles known as azulejos that distinguish the architecture of Porto. The presentation marks a pivotal point in Cai’s practice, when he returned to colour after working primarily with black gunpowder for several decades.

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Cai Guo-Qiang

Blue Bird and Flowers No. 2, 2021-26

‘In today’s world, filled with chaos, contradiction, and conflict, blue points toward a kind of peace, a spirituality that transcends reality, and a healing force. The flock of birds soaring upward also carries with it a certain unease and turbulence of our time.’

— CAI GUO-QIANG

Cai Guo-Qiang

Red Bird 2022, 2026, 2022-26

Cai Guo-Qiang

Blue Bird and Flowers No. 1, 2021-26

© Cai Studio. Photo © Erin Moss, Zicheng Lyu


Cai Guo-Qiang

Blue Bird and Blue Flower, 2025-26

Cai Guo-Qiang

Blue Fire and Blue Bird, 2022-26


In the Gallery: ‘Cai Guo-Qiang, Gunpowder and Abstraction (2015–2025)’


Cai Guo-Qiang

Test of Blue Birds, 2025

Cai Guo-Qiang

Shadow of a Bird, 2018-26

‘I pursue “eternity” through the instantaneous, perceiving and grasping its mysterious force within moments of chaos. Moments with gunpowder are uncontrollable and transient; is it not the same with life?’

— CAI GUO-QIANG

Cai Guo-Qiang

Wall Plant No. 1, 2018

Cai Guo-Qiang

Study for Uffizi: Small Piece No. 2, 2018

Cai Guo-Qiang

Maple Leaves No. 1, 2018

Cai Guo-Qiang

Study for Sleepwalking in the Forbidden City No. 8, 2020

Cai Guo-Qiang

Study for Sleepwalking in the Forbidden City No. 9, 2020

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Cai Guo-Qiang

Cai Guo-Qiang (b. 1957, Quanzhou, China) studied stage design at the Shanghai Theatre Academy in the early 1980s. His practice is broad ranging, incorporating painting, installation, video art and performance art, as well as new technologies including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), NFTs, blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI).

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Frieze New York

13 – 17 May 2026

Stand B9, The Shed, 545 West 30th Street, New York, NY 10001, United States

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