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Artists work in many mediums; paint, pencil, film, charcoal, clay, you name it. Not many work in gunpowder, however, which is the preferred material for Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, who is at the center of Netflix’s latest documentary Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang. The film follows the artist on his lifelong quest to make a firework display in the shape of ladder, “to connect the Earth to the Heavens.”
This quest may not seem all too difficult as you begin to watch the film, which takes you through some of the breathtaking work the accomplished and humble artist has created over his career. We see footage of his colorful, massive, and often times environmentally friendly firework displays and installations, that take place in some of the most beautiful places on Earth, and explode with precision to make spectacular patterns, breathtaking views, and even political statements. This is the man responsible for the Opening Ceremony at the Beijing Olympics for crying out loud! But the Sky Ladder, a 500 meter long ladder made of rope and gunpowder, carried into the night sky by a giant hot air balloon and then ignited with a single flame, becomes harder to realize than the artist had anticipated.
After trying and failing to make his dream a reality for over a decade, running into major complications and violations in multiple locations across the world, Guo-Qiang never gave up, and eventually decided the location for his dream project will be his grandmother’s fishing village in Quanzhou Metropolis, which is in China’s southeast Fujian Province. He’s caught on camera saying “This time, I’m doing it for myself, and for my family, and for my grandmother in particular who just turned 100 years old.”
This rationalization begins to make sense as we see Guo-Qiang throughout the documentary speaking lovingly of his family. We see him visiting with his ill father and beloved grandmother, tenderly holding their hands and telling them about the Sky Ladder that will be erected in their honor. He talks about how his grandmother was the first one to believe in him as an artist, and wants her to see the Sky Ladder come to life before her own ends. He tears up when talking about the sacrifices his father made throughout his childhood, citing his father’s love of books, and how he spent almost all of his earnings on them. Guo-Qiang explained how his father hoped to bestow this “fortune” on him when he grew older, only to have his heart broken when he eventually had burn the books in accordance with Chinese laws, with Guo-Qiang helping him do it.
These tidbits, along with other stories about the origins and importance of gunpowder to his country, and the ephemeral nature of Guo-Qiang’s work juxtaposed with the fleeting freedoms of his homeland government, make this location for his life’s goal even more appropriate. The only catch is he is doing it illegally, and racing the clock to ensure his grandmother can see it in her lifetime.
At the end of the documentary, and not without some suspenseful struggle, we see the journey come to an emotional and happy end, as the Sky Ladder lifts into the air lights up the night sky. We see Guo-Qiang watching alongside his family and friends, pointing an iPad with his grandmother on Facetime toward the piece asking her, with a huge smile on his face, “Grandma did you see? Isn’t your grandson awesome?” he laughs, before kissing his wife and turning back to the burning ladder in the sky. She passed away just one month later.
“Playing with gunpowder set me free,” Guo-Qiang says in the beginning of the documentary. Watching his passion, determination, and vision as a true artist through Sky Ladder will motivate you to find your gunpowder, to find what sets you free.
