2016 Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Known for his spectacular pyrotechnic displays, Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang creates his most ambitious project yet: Sky Ladder, a visionary, explosive event that he pulls off in his hometown in China after 20 years of failed attempts.
L'Échelle céleste, La scala celeste: L'arte di Cai Guo-Qiang
Cai Guo-Qiang is Jackson Pollock for pyromaniacs and arsonists. Change my mind.
If I have to describe this in one word, that would have to be "inspiring".
A man whose talent in the kind of art he does is a force to be reckoned with. So are his passion and sheer will to finally achieve Sky Ladder after a string of failed attempts.
Got emotional at the end for some reason. It seemed that I got carried away and just wanted to celebrate with them for pulling off something that was nearly impossible to do.
you know those people who film firework displays on their phones and you know the video will be terrible and they’re never gonna watch it back anyway? this is the opposite of that
Sky Ladder lights the contemporary fuses to the expressiveness of renowned artist Cai Guo-Qiang and vibrantly explodes on screen as Macdonald documents the arduous making of his titular extravaganza where, despite an inadequate buildup to the fiery installation between earth and sky, the personable background of Guo-Qiang’s artistry, the Chinese political and environmental subtext to his other projects - especially the Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony - and the beautiful biodegradable powders jettisoned from these flashy fireworks paint an endearing tapestry into passionate contemporary art.
Shanghai Film Week-🤪
I realise that an often running theme in many of my reviews & general day to day conversations relate to the fact that humans are the bane of the planet and we as a species truly are good for nothing but destruction, however, watching this documentary TRULY has changed my entire outlook. I am absolutely ashamed in the fact that not only have i never heard of this documentary before, but being a previous art student i have also never heard of the great “Cai Guo-Qiang”.
A beautiful representation of ambition & dreams. Although i found myself crying my absolute eyes out at multiple times throughout, the pure determination & will power of Mr Chi is an inspiration to us all. Follow them dreams boys & girls & dont let anyone get in the way x
“For any artist, once they reach a certain level... they have to confront what their original intention was.”
— Liu Xiaodong on Cai Guo-Qiang
For these Chinese super-artists, the sky is already the earth. To watch men struggle to break ceilings of their own making—to clear the creative hurdles that materialize after the world has already made way for you—is to be reminded that your most unrelenting challenger is often yourself.
Each new artistic endeavor is double-edged; even more illuminating than Cai's pyrotechnic spectacle is the artist's reluctance to walk in more ambiguous directions once he has been offered a route.
2017 REVIEW #63
A very strong documentary not only in its subject material but in terms of filmmaking and especially an editing perspective. Absolutely beautiful visuals that tie in well with the philosophy of the artist and his views on art and politics.
