Center Pompidou: Cai Guo-Qiang’s farewell fireworks in Paris

At the Centre Pompidou, a farewell fireworks display by Cai Guo-Qiang promises to be a rare moment. The artist is preparing a pyrotechnic performance designed for the city, the façade and the sky of Paris. The public can look forward to a luminous salute before the museum’s great transformation.

A fiery farewell to the Centre Pompidou, by Cai Guo-Qiang

Cai Guo-Qiang transforms gunpowder into a visual language for decades. At Beaubourg, he orchestrates a short, precise and collective gesture. The work will also interact with the architecture, which has been open to the city since 1977.

The event marks a turning point for the Centre Pompidou, which is currently undergoing a major renovation. Cai Guo-Qiang knows the urban scale, and composes with light, wind and sound. In this way, the show becomes a farewell ritual, accessible to passing glances.

Every second counts in this type of operation. And yet, the intensity will be there, thanks to a pattern of sparks and smoke. Cai Guo-Qiang seeks a shared emotion, brief and legible to all.

“The city breathes, art blazes, then silence gives way to memory.”

A pyrotechnic performance designed for the city

Cai Guo-Qiang’s studio prepares its sequences according to strict protocols. The explosive lines are set to the centimeter and the second. In this way, the final moment appears fluid, while the mechanics remain meticulous.

Cai Guo-Qiang’s visual vocabulary often conjures up celestial signs. Trajectories, halos and ephemeral constellations come to mind. What’s more, the public reads these forms as stories projected over the Piazza.

• Arrive early to choose a safe vantage point.
• Respect zones and announcements made by on-site teams.
• Bring ear protection for the youngest.
• Anticipate crowds and return transport times.
• Follow last-minute instructions given on site.

Sound is part of the design, as it punctuates the luminous narrative. Families, neighbors and onlookers gather, facing the same window of sky. And everyone brings with them a different mental image, nourished by their own history.

What we know about the evening and its context

The Centre Pompidou is preparing to close for renovation between 2025 and 2030. As part of this process, the institution has come up with some unusual formats, to be seen by as many people as possible. In this spirit, Cai Guo-Qiang delivers a performance that is both brief and memorable.

No explicit product references appear in the communications surrounding the event.
The message remains artistic and contextual, with no mention of brands or models.

The principle remains simple: a poetic gesture offered to the city, under reinforced security conditions. Consequently, access is organized according to the instructions of the moment and the capacity of the forecourt. Cai Guo-Qiang prioritizes legibility, so that the message cuts through the crowd.

Practical tips for living in the moment

Choose a fixed point and hold it from start to finish. The eye is less likely to wander, and sequences remain clear to read. Also, prepare your camera in advance to avoid late adjustments.

A light coat can help, as the evening sometimes stretches beyond the performance. On the other hand, don’t overcrowd at the last minute. Cai Guo-Qiang designs his gestures to be seen from a distance, without unnecessary promiscuity.

Why this farewell matters for Paris and art

This performance highlights the history of a central venue for living art. The Centre Pompidou has nurtured generations of artists and audiences. Cai Guo-Qiang’s farewell thus evokes continuity rather than a parenthesis.

Pyrotechnics here are not pure entertainment. It becomes a contemporary, precise and critical medium. What’s more, Cai Guo-Qiang reminds us that the ephemeral can hit the mark, then dissolve without a trace.

The announced renovation aims to pave the way for a more sober and sustainable future for the museum. From now on, the transition will be written with visible, shared gestures. Cai Guo-Qiang accompanies this transition with a work that brings people together, then fades away.

• center pompidou