Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang

A documentary about a Chinese artist. Cai Guo-Qiang works with gunpowder. He scatters it on paper and sets it alight; the trace left behind is the work itself. He also makes large-scale pieces with fireworks. The documentary follows a project he has been attempting for a long time: a ladder of burning rungs to be hung in the sky. He conceived it years ago and has tried three times; all three failed. His past is told at the same time. He grew up in a coastal city in China; his father was a calligrapher and painted. During the Cultural Revolution the books the family had hidden had to be burned. Then Japan, then New York. International exhibitions, large institutions and state commissions follow. In 2008 he designed the fireworks for the opening of the Olympics in Beijing; the work brought him both great visibility and criticism. The documentary covers that side as well: the question of an artist working with a state and his own answer to it. The last section returns to the ladder. This time it is made in his home town, for his grandmother; she is a hundred years old and not in a condition to see it. Kevin Macdonald directed. It was released on a streaming service. An impressive production for anyone interested in documentaries about art and large-scale work. For a viewer expecting a critical view, the film stands close to its subject.