Cai’s multi-disciplinary art practice utilizes research-based approaches to understand the human condition and the veracities of our histories. Employing counter-strategies, he creates oblique narratives which often consist of archival materials and digitally composited photographs. Cai’s accolades include the San Francisco Art Institute MFA Fellowship Award, the Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Award, as well as the Professional Development Grant and Arts Bursary Award from the National Arts Council of Singapore. He has represented Singapore in the traveling ASEAN-Korea exhibition Cross-scapes [2011] along with other luminaries in the region such as Tiffany Chung and Manit Sriwanichpoom. Cai has also been nominated for the Icon De Martell Cordon Bleu Prize [2012].

His works have been presented in solo and group exhibitions at Lucie Foundation’s MOPLA, Los Angeles [2016], Phoenix Art museum[2014], Noorderlicht Photography Festival [2013], Netherlands, Kumho Museum of Art [2011], GoEun Museum of Photography [2012], South Korea, Singapore Biennale Parallel [2013], RS Project, Berlin [2010], and Academy Art Museum [2020] amongst others. Cai’s hand- made photography book has also been acquired and exhibited by Center for Creative Photography juried by Darius Himes, International Head of Photographs at Christie’s and Rebecca Senf, Norton Family Curator of Photography at Phoenix Art Museum [2016]. A passionate educator, Cai is currently Assistant Professor of Photography at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.