With GOMA turning 10 in just a couple of weeks, we look back at one of the most dramatic exhibitions held at GOMA. ‘Cai Guo-Qiang: Falling Back to Earth’ (23 November 2013 – 11 May 2014) showcased major new works by a global artist whose large-scale installations and explosion events have made him one of the most innovative figures in contemporary art. This exhibition was the artist’s first solo exhibition in Australia and a GOMA exclusive.
‘Falling Back to Earth’ both spectacular and meditative, presented a beautiful, thought-provoking vision of our relationship with the earth and with each other. Four installations featured two new commissions directly inspired by the landscapes of southeast Queensland, which the artist visited in 2011.
Related: Falling Back to Earth
The centrepiece of the exhibition — Heritage 2013 — featured 99 replicas of animals from around the world, gathered together to drink from a blue lake surrounded by pristine white sand, reminiscent of the lakes of Moreton Bay’s islands. Heritage was acquired for the Gallery’s Collection with the generous support of the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Diversity Foundation through and with the assistance of the Gallery’s Foundation.
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The second installation, Eucalyptus 2013 responded to the ancient trees of Lamington National Park in the Gold Coast hinterland, while the third, Head On 2006 is a striking installation of 99 wolves leaping en masse into a glass wall, displayed for the first time in Australia.
The fourth installation, the Tea Pavilion was conceived by the artist and located within the heart of the exhibition, the Tea Pavilion was a space to learn more about the history and significance of Chinese Tea and also a place to reflect on the works on display.
Go into the draw to win the 204 page publication Cai Guo-Qiang: Falling Back to Earth featuring essays by Australian and international authors, with the artist’s new works extensively documented through spectacular installation photography . Cai Guo-Qiang also writes on a significant, but lesser-known, aspect of his practice – his collaborations with children. The publication traces Cai’s unique history with QAGOMA, as one of the first public institutions to collect the artist’s work. It also follows his early career inclusion in the ‘Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ (1996 and 1999). Value $49.95
The Children’s Art Centre also presented ‘Cai Guo-Qiang Kids: Let’s Create an Exhibition with a Boy Named Cai’ where you could make and display objects in miniature gallery spaces, create spectacular multimedia gunpowder drawings and fireworks events and watch a short film written by Cai Guo-Qiang about art and adventure.
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Feature image detail: Cai Guo-Qiang Heritage 2013
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