Representatives from Spain's Basque Country came to London on Thursday to showcase the works by a well-known Chinese artist among a wide range of tourist attractions including local cuisine.

A highlight featured is the forthcoming exhibition of the Chinese artist Cai Guoqiang at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, a traditional city in the region.

Bilbao will be one of three cities in the world to host Cai's exhibition "I Want to Believe," which will run from March 17 to Sept. 6 this year.

Cai is known for his use of gunpowder to create large-scale "gunpowder drawings" -- made by igniting explosives on paper – and for spectacular outdoor "explosion events" using pyrotechnic displays to convey conceptual themes. Lately he has been acclaimed for his work as a core member of the creative team for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

The exhibition charts the artist's creation of a distinctive visual and conceptual language across four mediums: gunpowder drawings, explosion events, installations and social projects, said Juan Ignacio Vidarte, director of Guggenheim Museum, at a press reception.

According to him, the exhibition will include Cai's 50 works from the 1980s to the present. Selected from major public and private collections in the United States, Europe, and Asia, the exhibits are aimed to examine Cai's significant formal and conceptual contributions to contemporary art and establish his influence as a cultural producer of socially provocative artwork for large audiences.

"His works is a combination of ancient mythology, military history, Taoist cosmology, Maoist revolutionary tactics, Buddhist philosophy, pyrotechnic technology, Chinese medicine and contemporary conflicts," said the director.

"I Want to Believe" was conceived in close cooperation with the artist as a spectacular site-specific installation within the iconic architecture of Frank Gehry's building in Bilbao.

The world-renowned Guggenheim Museum, which is to stage the exhibition, has helped put Bilbao on the world map. Built along a river, Bilbao is a mix of architectural and cultural marvels such as the Santiago Calatravas bridge, the Bilbao Underground designed by Norman Foster, the Arata Isozakis housing project and the Zorrozaurre peninsular which is currently being renovated by the Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid.

Isabel Sanchez, Bilbao Townhall representative, cited "a diverse historical and cultural heritage" to cater to visitors of different tastes. Basque, as a "land of contrasts" with its nature reserves side by side with industrial areas, proud stately boroughs along with modern new towns, also contributes to Bilbao's selection as one of the four best urban practices at the World Expo in Shanghai in 2010.