A fireworks display held by Cai Guo-Qiang in the foothills of the Himalayas earlier this month has sparked protests at London’s White Cube gallery, which is currently hosting an exhibition by the Chinese artist as part of an ongoing collaboration.
A coalition of UK-based groups, including Tibetan Community in Britain and Free Tibet, gathered at the Bermondsey gallery last Thursday to strongly condemn Guo-Qiang’s “cultural violence” ahead of an exhibition of his works.
The fireworks display, which took place on 19 September and was entitled Ascending Dragon, was met with a barrage of criticism from residents and online commentators concerned about the impact of the display on the region’s delicate ecology. According to the coalition of protestors, explosive displays have a permanent impact on the fragile high-altitude ecosystem in the Himalayas, polluting water sources, disturbing wildlife, and accelerating glacial melt.
In an online statement, the group said: “Cai Guo-Qiang has committed an act of cultural violence that is ethically indefensible; an act that now renders his London show highly controversial.”
Phuntsok Norbu, the chairperson for Tibetan Community in Britain, added: “We call on White Cube to publicly acknowledge the profound controversy that now surrounds the artist due to his actions in Tibet, and we urge them to reconsider providing a platform for work that aligns with the systematic destruction of Tibetan culture.”
Videos from the event show multi-coloured fireworks erupting across the foothills in a display intended to resemble a dragon. According to Art Asia Pacific, the performance ignited 1,050 firework units over 52 seconds at altitudes of 4,500 to 5,500 metres.
According to the BBC, the mountains where the event took place are sacred to people in Tibet, where many follow Buddhism. “It has been a tightly-controlled part of China since it was annexed in the 1950s, leading some online to ask how and why the project was approved in the first place,” the BBC reports.
In a statement, Guo-Qian says: “[Ascending Dragon] has sparked deep public concern and discussion regarding the protection of the plateau’s ecological environment. My studio and I take this matter very seriously and we are proactively cooperating with third-party organisations as well as relevant authorities to conduct comprehensive assessments of any potential ecological impact.
“Depending on the outcome, we are prepared to make every effort to implement further remedial and restorative measures. I recognise that there were various aspects in which our considerations were insufficient and, for this, I express my deepest apologies.”
A spokesperson for White Cube says that the gallery, which does not represent Guo-Qiang but has been collaborating with him since June this year, “acknowledges these groups’ concerns regarding the Ascending Dragon event in Tibet”.
The firework event’s sponsor, the Canadian clothing company Arc’teryx, also responded to the backlash, writing on social media that “the event was in direct opposition to our commitment to outdoor spaces… we have already begun efforts to mitigate the environmental and social impacts of the event”. Arc’teryx’s parent company is owned by the Chinese sportswear brand Anta.
Posting on the Chinese social media platform WeChat, authorities at the local Shigatse party committee and government confirmed they are investigating the incident and have “set up an investigation team to send to the site immediately”. The communist organisation will handle the outcome “in accordance with the law and regulations,” according to CNN.
