Together We Pull Through—Chinese Contemporary Art Community Disaster Relief Charity Auction

Crocodile from the Sky: Project for the Metropolitan Museum of Art
2006
Gunpowder on paper
200 x 300 cm

On May 12, 2008 a devastating quake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale jolted Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, and swept across a dozen cities in the province, and another dozen provinces and municipalities nationwide, causing the loss tens of thousands of lives and tremendous devastation. Confronted with such a unexpected disastrous calamity, people from all social circles took urgent action to help the quake victims. In immediate response, the website www.ionly.com.cn and the China Guardian Auctions Co., Ltd. joined forces to sponsor the “Together We Pull Through—Chinese Contemporary Art Community Disaster Relief Charity Auction,” calling on the contemporary artists at home and abroad to donate art works for auction. Nearly 200 internationally renowned contemporary artists responded enthusiastically and donated masterpieces and valuable works for this charity auction with great enthusiasm and deep love. China Guardian held this auction from May 25 to 27, 2008 at the Beijing Kerry Center with all proceeds donated to the victims of the earthquake hit areas. The program is listed as the China Auction Association’s Quake-relief Charity Auction Series.

“The Wenchuan quake has affected every Chinese person. Every one of us working in the culture and art fields shares the same feeling. We are all traumatized and feel the heavy weight on our shoulders. We look forward to this event because it will bring together the entire arts community. We want to send love and support to our brothers and sisters in Sichuan,” said Ms. Wang Yannan, Director and President of China Guardian. [source]

Cai donated his gunpowder drawing titled Crocodile from the Sky: Project for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was created for his exhibition Transparent Monument, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2006. The work was shipped from New York to Beijing, where it sold at the charity auction for 5.8 million RMB ($850,000 USD), with all proceeds donated to those affected by the earthquake.