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15 July 2019

TERRACOTTA WARRIORS X CAI GUO-QIANG, NGV

Melbourne Winter Masterpieces

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

This time, the NGV showcases the beauty of China’s ancient terracotta warriors alongside the new works by a contemporary artist, Cai Guo-Qiang.

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Cai Guo-Qiang's works showcased the art of using gunpowder and explosion as part of the Chinese culture to tell stories about the history of terracotta warriors. I found that the link was very interesting. In the first room, a huge painting 'Flow' with the subject of the Cypress tree and the landscape of mountainous regions in China.

 

As I was browsing these amazing terracotta warriors sculptures, I realized that they were actually painted initially. The colors were red, green, purple, blue, black, and white. The paints were oxidized after excavated from the ground. But I like the ones without paint, what do you think?

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The 'Murmuration (landscape)' porcelain installation was produced in China and colored with gunpowder ignition here in Melbourne. I was really impressed with the installation. 10,000 porcelain birds suspended from the ceiling in response to a calligraphic drawing of Mount Li, the site of Qin’s tomb. I really would like to see the process of installation. As Cai mentioned, the flock of birds recreated the sense of awe of viewing the site – the fear and the scale.

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 © 2025 by Stacie Tan . All Rights Reserved.

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