I'm always oscillating between if I should sprinkle more gunpowder or less. But if I put too much gunpowder, there may be holes throughout the silk. If not enough, the power and energy would not be shown.
Cai Guo-QiangRead
For my art, there is a common theme most of the time: it is using the things we can see to search for the world we cannot see.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the idea of using visible subjects in art to explore deeper, unseen concepts and emotions.
Cai Guo-Qiang suggests that his artistic expression revolves around a fundamental theme: employing what is tangible and observable to unveil or probe into the mysteries, emotions, and perspectives that lie beyond our immediate perception. This approach implies a deep connection between the visible and the invisible, where the outward representation serves as a gateway to a more profound understanding of the world and the human experience.
Themes
ArtPerceptionInvisibleExplorationEmotions
In practice
Example use cases
In an art exhibition, the curator opens with this quote to frame the artworks displayed.
More from Cai Guo-Qiang
All quotes βSimilar quotes
Our species uses music and dance to express various feelings: love, joy, comfort, ceremony, knowledge, and friendship. And each one is distinct and widely recognized within cultures. Love songs cause us to move slowly and fluidly, for example, while songs of joy inspire us to dance in a full-body aerobic way.
Daniel LevitinRead
A good, sympathetic review is always a wonderful surprise.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
The truest expression of a people is in its dances and its music. Bodies never lie.
Agnes De MilleRead
In many ways, writing is the act of saying 'I,' of imposing oneself upon other people, of saying, 'Listen to me, see it my way, change your mind.' It's an aggressive, even a hostile act.
Joan DidionRead
But, after all, the aim of art is to create space - space that is not compromised by decoration or illustration, space within which the subjects of painting can live.
Frank StellaRead
A man writes because he is tormented, because he doubts. He needs to constantly prove to himself and the others that heβs worth something. And if I know for sure that Iβm a genius? Why write then? What the hell for?
Andrei TarkovskyRead