Cai Guo-Qiang was born in 1957 in Quanzhou, Fujian, China. His father was a calligrapher and painter who worked in a bookstore, so naturally those art forms, as well as literature, were part of Cai’s life. Cai is most known for his large-scale “explosions” and his in-depth work with gunpowder. Up until 2015, he only used black gunpowder. Then he switched to colored powder, which opened up more space for exploration. “Gunpowder and Abstraction” features an array of Cai’s gunpowder paintings from the last 10 years, and emphasizes his dedication to the material as a medium. This is his first exhibition in London in over 20 years. —Henry McGrath