The daytime fireworks display precludes his new exhibit at The National Art Center in Tokyo.
Iwaki holds a special place in artist Cai Guo-Qiang’s heart. The coastal town, located in Fukushima, Japan has served as a home of sorts over the last thirty years. Qian first moved to the area in 1993, settling at Yotsukura Beach for seven months to prepare for his first exhibit at a public art museum in Japan, only to return for a large-scale fireworks exhibit in 1994. Eventually Cai built a network of local friends, who have offered companionship and collaboration over the years. It’s fitting then, that his latest work pays tribute to this location. Titled When the Sky Blooms with Sakura, the work was commissioned by Saint Laurent and organized by the Iwaki Executive committee, serving as a precursor for Cai’s latest exhibit, Ramble in the Cosmos — From Primeval Fireball Onward, at The National Art Center in Tokyo.
The thirty minute spectacle over Yotsukura Beach marks the first daytime fireworks show held in Japan and consisted of 40,000 choreographed fireworks shells that spanned 400 meters wide and 130 meters high. It begins with two solemn moments, Horizon-White Chrysanthemums and White Waves, to note those who have departed as well as the harm humans have inflicted on nature. From there it segues into Black Waves, a confrontation of the pain of the past before moving onwards to Memorial Monument, an all-white display that mourns the suffering experienced during the pandemic and past wars.
For the latter half of the display, the mood turns hopeful with a specially-designed burst of pink fireworks meant to resemble cherry blossoms. The sakura in the skies above Fukushima are a nod to the ongoing Project to Plant Ten Thousand Cherry Blossom Trees, an initiative by Cai’s friends in Iwaki. Conceived as a project to transform the land in the area that was contaminated by the 2011 earthquake in Fukushima, the goal is to create a pink sea of sakura from afar.
“Mankind today is facing various challenges such as coexisting with the pandemic, economic decline, deglobalization, and increased national and cultural conflicts. Through the sakura in the sky, I was expressing the story of the friendship between the people of Iwaki and me, which transcends politics and history, and I hope that the artwork will inspire the world with faith and hope,” said Cai via the press release.
For Saint Laurent, this sponsorship reflects their ongoing mission, under the initiative of Anthony Vaccarello, to support excellence in various creative fields including visual arts, cinema, and music. The video can be seen on their site as well as their YouTube while Ramble in the Cosmos — From Primeval Fireball Onward can be seen at The National Art Center in Tokyo from June 29 through August 1st.
