A SPARK of Environmental Art

The April 2013 issue of the Smithsonian Magazine has an article about the artist Cai Guo-Qiang. Until I read this article I was unaware of this man and his mastery of his technique, pyrotechnics. According to the article, “he may be the only artist in human history who has had some one billion people gaze simultaneously at one of his artworks…the worldwide televised ‘fireworks sculpture’ …[he] created for the Beijing Olympics in 2008”. The article goes into depth about the man Cai Guo-Qiang and what inspires him to create his masterworks.

The more I read about this artist, I was drawn to how he gets the viewer to look at nature through a different lens. His fireworks encourage people to gaze into the sky and view not only the dazzling lights but also contemplate the sky and its unadulterated beauty.

Like many artists, and many people, he has emotional baggage he carries around with him. The artist is in his 50s but vividly recalls his father’s stories of oppression under Mao Zedong. His father was an intellectual and, secretly, burned his books at night so he would not be caught possessing literature, as it was seen as a threat. The loss of his cherished books, and ability to freely seek knowledge threw his father into a depression. He started to create calligraphy in puddles, works of art they were literary based, but temporary. They were easily washed away so there would be no evidence he was a rebel. Cai Guo-Qiang follows in his father’s footsteps. His art lives on via photographs and video, but is temporary and experienced best in the moment in which it is made.

Other artists have created temporary works of art that are captured in film for posterity. One ENVIRONMENTAL artist mentioned in the article includes Robert Smithson. Another that comes to mind is the husband and wife duo Christo and Jean Claude. Environmental artists cause us to look at nature, to really look. They challenge the viewer to appreciate a rock for what it is, an irregularly shaped object that is as unique as a snowflake. They challenge the viewer to be mindful of the wind and its presence in our lives. In an era where we are looking to recycle, reduce our carbon footprint, and find ways to be “green”, perhaps it is time to heed the call of these environmental artists. We need to appreciate nature’s beauty. If enough people can cultivate an appreciation for nature, rather than take it for granted, perhaps more people will take steps to preserve its beauty. The power of the masses will destroy or beautify the natural world. As an art historian, I call for a preservation, and perhaps restoration, of nature’s beauty!