Cai
Guo-Qiang

Learn about the internationally renowned artist ahead of his landmark exhibition at White Cube Bermondsey this September.

*Outside My Window: April in the Year of Gengzi* (2020)

Cai Guo-Qiang will return to London after two decades with a solo exhibition at White Cube Bermondsey this September. Coinciding with Frieze London, the exhibition marks the artist’s first project in London in over 20 years.

Learn more about the artist and his upcoming exhibition.

Upcoming Exhibition

Cai Guo-Qiang
Gunpowder and Abstraction 2015–2025

26 September – 9 November 2025
Bermondsey, London

Artwork: Cai Guo-Qiang, Pink Poppy No. 2, 2021

Visit exhibition

About the artist

*Ignition of gunpowder painting Study of Birds*, 2018. Photo by Tatsumi Masatoshi, courtesy Cai Studio

Based in New York since 1995, Cai is best known for his monumental outdoor explosion events, gunpowder paintings and large-scale installations – works that transcend the two-dimensional plane to oscillate freely between nature and society.

Grounded in Eastern philosophy and contemporary social issues, his often site-specific projects engage local culture and history. Cai’s expansive practice spans painting, installation, video and performance, as well as pioneering work in digital media – including projects in virtual and augmented reality, blockchain and artificial intelligence, the latter through his custom-built model, cAI™.

Over his prolific career, Cai has produced over 650 projects worldwide, including solo exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, as well as Museo del Prado in Madrid and Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy. He served as the Director of Visual Effects and Fireworks for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, and is the subject of the 2016 Netflix documentary Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang, directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald.

Watch on Netflix