Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang

2016

1h 16m

Documentary

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24 Reviews

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The Sky Ladder is a 1,650-foot ladder of fire climbing into the skies above artist Cai Guo-Qiang's hometown. Creating ambitious signature pieces on the largest imaginable scales, Cai's electrifying work often transcends physical permanence while burning its philosophies into the audience members' minds. Told through the artist's own words and those of family, friends and observers, the film tracks Cai's meteoric rise and examines why he engineers artworks that loom as far as the eye can see.

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Paul A

As "Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang" (2016 release from the UK; 79 min.) opens, we are briefly introduced to Cai, as he reflects on his roots in China, where gunpowder (a/k/a "fire medicine") was invented over 1000 years ago. We then go to "Bath, England, 1994" where Cai tries to mount the sky ladder project, but fails... At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary. Couple of comments: this is the latest from Oscar-winning Scottish director Kevin Macdonald. Here he seems to have been given unfettered access to Chinese performance artist Cai Guo-Qiang, best known for his sophisticated fireworks displays (2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, anyone?) but as it turns out Cai is so much more than that. The documentary works great and the results are exquisite, with stunning visuals to boot. The harder questions are not avoided (such as when Cai does another fireworks show for the opening of APEC 2014 in Beijing, knowing fully well that his work is used for political propaganda purposes). And as for the sky ladder project: it reminds me in scope and ambition of the works by the recently departed Christo, who never saw a building he couldn't wrap. Bottom line: this is one amazing and thoroughly enjoyable documentary. I missed "Sky Ladder" when it originally came out in 2016. Neflix just recommended it to me based on my viewing habits. Thanks Netflix! So glad I caught this. If you are in the mood for an entertaining documentary about the life and times of Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, and containing some out of this world footage, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Jerry W

Although most people saw Cai Guo-Qiang's fireworks display for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, they probably weren't aware of the artist (I wasn't). This documentary will not only change that, but will offer an opportunity to see some of his spectacularly mesmerizing work. The objective of the doc is the chronicle his attempts to create the titular structure, a 1,650 foot ladder of fire. Along the way, there are displays of his other "explosive work," as well as the paintings he creates using gun powder. Director Kevin Macdonald tells his art career with wonderful detail, but his personal life is mostly glanced over. Still, just to see his magical creations is sufficient to make this doc a visually thrilling experience.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/15/21

Full Review

Audience Member

I think perhaps the critics are confusing the actual art of Cai Guo-qiang with this documentary. His art is impressive. This documentary is very slow paced and uninteresting at times.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The impressive visual aspects of pyrotechnics lend itself well to a documentary and this one doesn't disappoint. However the movie largely passes over many personal and emotional details of the artist and instead focuses on his creative output which is admittedly extraordinary. So we're left with a high level and complimentary visual resume of a quite amazing artist only to wonder what untold stories lie beneath.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/19/17

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edmund p

https://letterboxd.com/edmundpoliks/film/sky-ladder-the-art-of-cai-guo-qiang/

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Revolutionary and unique. A moving story about a brilliant artist.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Kevin Macdonald

Director

Ian Buruma

Actor

Guo-Qiang Cai

Actor

Wen-You Cai

Actor

Jeffrey Deitch

Actor

Phil Grucci

Actor

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Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang: Clip - Cai Guo-Qiang

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Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang: Clip - New Approach

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Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang: Trailer 1

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Nick Allen

RogerEbert.com

In 80 minutes, Sky Ladder teaches you through sight, sound and dialogue about a new artistic language, while making you an expert on one of its masters.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 14, 2016

Full Review

Ken Jaworowski

New York Times

A documentary that is as rewarding as this artist's work.

Oct 13, 2016

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

A very stimulating introduction to this extraordinary talent.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 13, 2016

Full Review

Stephen Saito

Moveable Fest

For as tall as Cai imagines his latest effort will rise, the audience may actually feel as if they've been lifted even higher.

Nov 13, 2018

Full Review

Sean Mulvihill

FanboyNation.com

The artistry on display in Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang is unlike anything I've ever seen, and definitely not the kind of art you could catch in any art district throughout the world.

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 1, 2018

Full Review

Jana Monji

Pasadena Weekly

In the fascinating documentary Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang, director Kevin Macdonald helps audiences understand the political and social forces that helped develop one of China's major artists and his journey.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 14, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

The Sky Ladder is a 1,650-foot ladder of fire climbing into the skies above artist Cai Guo-Qiang's hometown. Creating ambitious signature pieces on the largest imaginable scales, Cai's electrifying work often transcends physical permanence while burning its philosophies into the audience members' minds. Told through the artist's own words and those of family, friends and observers, the film tracks Cai's meteoric rise and examines why he engineers artworks that loom as far as the eye can see.

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Producer: Adam Del Deo, Bennett Miller
Production Co: Netflix
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2017
Runtime: 1h 16m

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