Gunpowder and abstraction 2015–2025 - Meer

This article explores Cai Guo-Qiang's groundbreaking exhibition at White Cube Bermondsey, marking his return to London after over twenty years with a comprehensive showcase of his gunpowder artworks.

The exhibition presents over 30 works spanning a decade of experimentation, highlighting Cai's evolution from monochromatic to vibrant colored compositions. Beginning his gunpowder practice in 1980s Quanzhou using firecracker workshops, the Chinese artist has developed sophisticated techniques that blur boundaries between Eastern philosophy and Western art traditions. His recent works incorporate colored pyrotechnic powders, creating what he calls "cosmic gardens" that explore themes of creation, destruction, and natural cycles while engaging with art historical references from Cézanne to Renaissance masters.

• Cai reintroduced color to his practice in 2015 after three decades of monochromatic work, adding sensual and hallucinatory dimensions
• The exhibition features floral and bird motifs that represent cosmic cycles and continuity within nature
• His "Individual's journey through western art history" project includes explosive interventions at Pompeii and Uffizi-inspired silverpoint techniques
• Gunpowder serves as both medium and metaphor, embodying opposing forces of creation and destruction rooted in ancient Chinese alchemy