Cai Guo-Qiang: “Life Is A Milonga: Tango Fireworks For Argentina”
By Angelika Li
CAI GUO-QIANG’s explosion event,
For those who have seen Wong Kar Wai’s film Happy Together (1997), it is difficult to forget the charms of Buenos Aires, the heart of Argentina. Passionate scenes in which actors Tony Leung and the late legendary Leslie Cheung, who play lovers in a romantic yet turbulent relationship, dance the Argentine tango, as well as footage featuring the mesmerizing Igazu waterfalls, vividly shapes our fantasy and image of Argentina—which, incidentally, was where artist Cai Guo-Qiang recently showed his signature explosion event for the first time in Latin America. The scale and type of the event was unprecedented in Argentina and successfully attracted an audience of over 250,000 to La Boca, Buenos Aires, in late January. It was an exhilarating experience, where all of your senses were awakened during an 80-minute explosion event, while over 43,000 fireworks were shot up and various musical performances and interactive programs simultaneously took place.
