Cai Guo-Qiang Quotations

When I was young, I didn't want to do traditional painting and calligraphy. I deliberately wanted to separate from my father so I could feel I existed myself.

In any country, in any city, there will be political influence on what is said, what kind of images are to be projected and, yes, of course artists can be and are influenced by politicians.

For an artist, a good place to be is you have some kind of influence and power to get things done, but in your essence you remain a nomad or a soldier facing a difficulty to be overcome.

Even though Chinese society was really closed, there were two windows for me to explore the world. One was from my mother and grandmother, the unseen and invisible world. Another window was brought from my father's side, those classic and Western books.

I have always been a coward as a child. I am not very brave. I am very aware of the fact that I am not very gutsy.

For me it's really important that the work here displays an aesthetic of decay along with the sunken boat with the broken ceramic pieces. They form a unity in showing the power of destruction, the beauty of destruction, whether it's from nature- because the boat has sunk- or through other forces. It's really the beauty of decay and death that holds a power here.

Computer animation is one way to liberate people from their circumstantial gravity, and it is one way to give them mental freedom.

My work is like a dialogue between me and unseen powers, like alchemy.

Be Careful Of Books. Be Careful With Books. Be Careful Or One Can Become A Weapon-Wielder. Be Careful Or One Can Become The Victim.