zhisong Cai
China
Internationally renowned sculptor, one of the most iconic and famous Chinese sculptor of our time.
In 1997 he graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Sculpture. From 1998-2008, he taught at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in the Sculpture department. Cai Zhisong is now a professional artist who lives and works in Beijing.Amongst the numerous awards which he has been awarded, these several are the most important: 2001 the Taylor Prize at the Paris Autumn Salon when he was 29, becoming the highest honor won by Chinese artists in its 103-year history; 2004 he was awarded the President’s prize at Central Academy of Fine Arts. 2011 he was invited to participate in the 54th Venice Biennale. 2012 he was selected as global “100 Art Leaders” on the cover of “Art Actuel” in France. In the same year, he was rated “Art Authority Figures”. 2013 he was honored as Mr. Uno, and was also selected as 2013 Global Chinese Fashion Leader. In 2014 Cai won the Rockefeller Chinese Outstanding Young Artist Prize, and was granted the Annual Influence Special Artist Award. In 2016 Cai was honored China Robb Report “Best of the Best” Annual Artist. In 2017 he was honored the “Man of the Year (Art)” in the 14th Esquire, and the “Art Leaders”. Cai has held more than a dozen solo exhibitions around the world and participated in group exhibitions. His art works have been collected by many well-known museums, art galleries and art institutions, including: Rockefeller Foundation for the Arts, Tyler Foundation, Newark Museum of Art in the United Sates, Museum of Regensburg in Germany, Museum of Fine Arts of Greece, The National Museum of Indonesia, The National Gallery of Singapore, Deutsche Bank, Belgium Embassy in China, The National Museum of China, The National Art Museum of China, the Art Museum of China Central Academy of Fine Arts (formerly CAFA Gallery), He Xiangning Art Museum and Zhejiang Art Museum, etc.
In the fall of 2005, spring of 2006, Sotheby's Hong Kong Auction and 2012 China Poly Spring Auction, Cai has created the highest auction record for a Chinese sculptor in the international art market for three times. Cai’s artistic creation and academic activity have a wide effect on the wider community. In the past year, Cai has cooperated with many brands and enterprises. from different industries such as Mercedes Benz Coupe S500, Jaguar XJ, Range Rover， BMW Z4, Porsche, Audi A8, Lincoln SUV, Lafite, Moët & Chandon, Rémy Martin 1898, the Singleton 53, Dior, Breguet, Berluti, and Waldorf Astoria. In addition, Cai activity promotes the fusion of art and other fields of society. Cai’s major works consist of the “Motherland” series, “Rose” series, “Clouds” series, and “Homeland” series. Created in the end of 1999, Motherland series took Cai 16 years to complete. Divided into three parts as Custom to Motherland, Ode to Motherland and Refinement to Motherland (the same name as three parts of Chinese Book of Songs), Cai's Motherland series is a combination of skills from different regions as well as different historical periods. Concrete modeling plus modern material language gave the artist a focus on history and humanity. Rose series was created in 2008 and completed in 2014. The material and installation of Rose together convey the artist’s attitude towards love. Cloud series was created in 2011. The first ones were made for Venice Biennale. In the Poly 2012 Spring Art Auction, one of them has been sold at the highest recorded price of 6.9 million RMB among domestic sculptors. The installation and idea of Cloud interpret the artist’s view of life. Homeland series was created in 2016 and completed is 2017. Its main images are red-crowned crane and deer. In Chinese culture, red-crowned crane and deer carry culturally symbolic meanings. Using the traditional images, Cai hopes to express his thoughts and pursuits of a beautiful home.