Cai Guo-Qiang Launches Second NFT 'Exploding the Self' Following Record-Setting Debut
On September 3 at 9 am ET, Cai Guo-Qiang will unveil his second NFT titled 'Exploding the Self,' available in 99 editions priced at USD$999 each, with the proceeds benefiting the education initiatives of the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai. This release follows his inaugural NFT, 'Transient Eternity – 101 Ignitions of Gunpowder Paintings,' which fetched USD$2.5 million in July 2021. The new piece illustrates the moment of creation for a self-portrait, crafted with gunpowder between two canvases. Cai perceives NFTs as representations of fleeting instances and is investigating their possibilities for innovative endeavors. His collaboration with Rockbund began in 2010, and collectors must register with TR Lab, paying in USDC through MetaMask, limited to one edition per account.
Key facts
- Cai Guo-Qiang's second NFT, 'Exploding the Self,' releases on 3 September 2021 at 9am ET.
- 99 editions are available at USD$999 each, with proceeds going to Rockbund Art Museum's education programs.
- His first NFT, 'Transient Eternity,' sold for USD$2.5 million in July 2021, a record for non-crypto-native artists.
- The NFT captures the genesis moment of a self-portrait created with gunpowder between two canvases.
- Cai curated Rockbund Art Museum's inaugural exhibition, 'Peasant da Vincis,' in 2010.
- During pandemic quarantine, Cai revisited old sketchbooks and created darker works, including gunpowder drawings.
- He is exploring VR technology, aiming to combine it with artistic languages like in 'Peasant da Vincis.'
- Collectors must use TR Lab, register ahead, and pay in USDC via MetaMask, with one edition per account limit.
Entities
Artists
- Cai Guo-Qiang
- Reiko Tomii
Institutions
- Rockbund Art Museum
- TR Lab
- Uffizi Galleries
- Prado
- Guggenheim
- ArtReview
- Hugo Boss Asia Art
- RAM+
- Notre-Dame
- Forbidden City
Locations
- Shanghai
- China
- Ethiopia
- Cyprus
- Japan
- Paris
- France
- Nevada Test Site
- United States