Moments of calm

Photo by Ou Shuyi / China Daily

"The biggest challenge is definitely the structure, engineering of the work. The 170 tons of water in the gallery is like a big time bomb," he says.

The replicas of the animals were all made in Quanzhou, Cai's hometown in Fujian province, which took more than six months. Other elements-the sand, the fabrication of the water hole and the entire water system-were all produced in Australia.

The exhibition, presented by Tourism and Events Queensland, runs until May 11, 2014. In addition to Heritage and Eucalyptus, it also features Head On, 99 replicas of wolves running in a high arc against a glass wall. Inspired by the Berlin Wall, it is an installation Cai created in 2006.

Falling Back to Earth is a significant evolution for Cai, says Chris Saines, director of the Brisbane gallery, which has a long-standing relationship with the artist.

Cai was featured in the gallery's Asia Pacific Triennial in 1996 and 1999. But neither of his projects was delivered as planned-the explosion project in 1996 was canceled because of an accident, and the 99 small boats filled with alcohol all sank to the bottom of the Brisbane River before appearing before viewers as a "Blue Dragon" in 1999.

Yet, the artist has not been deterred by these "failures" and is on his "unlimited exploration in the limited world".

The number 99 occurs frequently in Cai's works, like Heritage and Head On.

"Nine represents 'long-lasting' in Chinese numerology, while 99 suggests for me something that is not quite complete, providing a sense of 'insufficiency and expectation'," Cai says.

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