Moments of calm

Cai Guoqiang shifts his focus from the universe and cosmos back to earth in his solo show in Australia.

The artist says he tries to raise questions that activate this strange, peaceful tableau: What brings this menagerie together, and how can the predators and prey in this gathering relate to each other?

The title of the exhibition came from a fourth-century Chinese poem by Tao Yuanming, Ah, Homeward Bound I Go!

"The poem captures the concept behind the exhibition and expresses the idea of going home, returning to the harmonious relationship between man and nature, and re-embracing the tranquility in the landscape," Cai says.

Russell Storer, curator of the exhibition, says Cai "always tries to make connections to the local context in which he makes his works".

While preparing for the solo exhibition, Cai visited Australia many times and his trip with his family in 2011 to Queensland, "where crystal-clear lakes shine like multihued gems", was particularly inspiring, he says.

"The experience of taking a walk in the forest at night looking for nocturnal creatures up in the trees-their eyes seemingly glowing in the dark, reflecting from the light of our head torches-and learning about what they were. It was quite a magical experience," Cai recalls.

Eucalyptus, inspired by the ancient trees of Lamington National Park, creates a "meditative, immersive experience" for visitors, Storer says. A native eucalyptus, which was earmarked for clearing for an urban community development, has been relocated into the gallery.

"This is an unfinished artwork," Cai says. Viewers are invited to draw and write their ideas on the tree's past and future.

With the 31-meter tree, Cai references the Chinese scholarly tradition in which artists and poets would commune with nature to gain their moral and spiritual bearings, and represent the landscape as a reflection of their experiences and values.

Though his new artworks do not involve any explosions or gunpowder, Cai says there was still risk in the work.

Related:

A big-bang legacy

Cai Guoqiang has created a unique body of work over recent decades, characterized by the grandness of their scale and ambition. More...

Gunpowder drawing created for auction

Inspired by his hometown's past, as well as its present, Quanzhou artist Cai Guoqiang created a gunpowder drawing on paper on a live show in Shanghai. More...

Fire up in Hangzhou

Artist Cai Guoqiang's latest works reflect the beauty of West Lake in a series of gunpowder paintings. More...