Born in Quanzhou in the Fujian Province of China, 1957, currently based in the USA. In 1986, after studying stage design at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, he came to Japan, where he lived and worked for approximately 9 years. During this time, he experimented with gunpowder and explosions which became the
foundation of his current style. Cai’s accolades include the Praemium Imperiale in 2012, the Fukuoka Prize in 2009, the Hiroshima Art Prize in 2007, and the
Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 1999. Cai served as the Director of Visual and Special Effects for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing 2008
Summer Olympics, and is one of the most prominent contemporary artists of China.