Making waves in the sand

Huang Yong Ping's work Wu Zei (cuttlefish) is among the exhibits on show in Doha.

It also includes pieces by artists from the younger generation, who have attracted much attention in recent years.

Among the works from the younger generation are pieces done by an artist collective comprising Sun Yuan and Peng Yu.

Cai believes the works in the show redirect the audience to Chinese artists' creativity in approaching art using diverse forms, and they show how the participants challenge themselves with questions essential to their creation and the concerns of the world.

"A good artist should always ask questions," he says.

"What about art? It is not only a question for Chinese artists, but also for artists in Islamic countries ... and other parts of the world who face the additional complications of social, political and cultural transformations, while striving for a space to express their individual interests."

Born in Quanzhou, in East China's Fujian province, Cai rose to international fame for using gunpowder to create paintings and on-site projects.

His reputation at home grew after he designed the fireworks display for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

One of his recent works that created a sensation is Sky Ladder, in which a 500-meter-high ladder is pulled up using balloons and then blown up using gunpowder.

He presented the work on Huiyu island in Quanzhou last year.