Exploding the Self #29 by Cai Guo-Qiang

A continuation of Cai’s first NFT *Transient Eternity*, *Exploding the Self* is the genesis moment of a recent self-portrait by Cai. The artist’s silhouette appears in fierce firelight, as if in an instant of liberation, he is experiencing the pleasure of approaching his true self. For the creation of the painting, gunpowder was arranged between two canvases that were laid face-to-face on the ground. Once ignited, two images emerged—one canvas was true to reality, the other a bewildering abstraction. The artist’s masked selfie is a frank contemplation of the complexity and vulnerability he experienced during the pandemic. The sale of *Exploding the Self*, as a small surprise for the NFT co...View all