Liu Bolin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Liu Bolin
刘勃麟 |
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Liu Bolin
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| Born | 7 January 1973 Shandong, China
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| Nationality | Chinese |
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Notable work
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Hiding in the city |
Liu Bolin (born January 7, 1973) is a famous artist from Shandong, China. He is often called "The Invisible Man" because of his amazing artwork. He creates photographs where he paints his own body to blend perfectly into the background. It can be very hard to spot him in his pictures!
Liu studied art in college and got his first degree in 1995. He later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Beijing in 2001. His art has been shown in museums all over the world.
His most famous art series is called Hiding in the City. He started this project in 2005. It was his way of protesting after the government tore down the artists' village where he worked. The village was demolished to prepare for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Contents
Personal Life
Liu Bolin grew up in the 1990s. This was a time when China was changing very quickly. The country was growing and becoming more modern after a difficult period in its history. These changes had a big impact on his art.
Today, Liu lives and works in Beijing, China.
Famous Art Series
Liu Bolin is best known for his series of artworks where he disappears into his surroundings. Each series explores a different idea.
Hiding in the City
The Hiding in the City series is Liu's most famous work. He started it after an artists' village in Beijing was destroyed in 2005. Liu was very upset by this. He decided to use his art to make a quiet statement.
By painting himself into different city scenes, he wanted to show that artists in China sometimes felt ignored or unprotected. His art became a way to talk about social problems in a country that was changing fast.
For some photos, Liu painted himself into backgrounds with large writing, like government slogans. He noticed that people often walked past these slogans without really reading them. By becoming part of the slogans, he forced people to stop and think about the messages around them.
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Exploring New Places
After his work in Beijing, Liu took his "Hiding" art to other parts of the world. He created similar photo series in Italy and New York City.
He chose Italy because of its long history of famous art. In New York, he blended into famous places like Wall Street. This helped him explore how people connect with the cities they build.
In 2011, he worked with famous fashion designers like Gaultier and Valentino for an issue of Harper's Bazaar magazine. He also worked with the French artist JR.
The MIGRANTS Project
In 2015, Liu started a powerful project called MIGRANTS. For one of his first photos, he traveled to the Port of Catania in Italy. He saw a boat that had been used to carry migrants from Africa.
He chose to blend his body into the wrecked boat. This was to honor the difficult journeys that many people make in search of a new life. His art became a silent story about their experiences.
Other Work
Liu Bolin's art isn't just about hiding. He also creates sculptures and does other unique projects.
- In 2009, he made a sculpture of U.S. President Barack Obama to mark his visit to China.
- In 2013, he created the album cover for the rock band Bon Jovi's album, What About Now. The cover shows the band members camouflaged against a background, just like in Liu's art.
Exhibitions Around the World
Liu Bolin's art has been featured in many solo and group shows. A solo show means it features only his work. A group show means his art is displayed alongside other artists.
Solo Exhibitions
- 2018: "Le théâtre des apparences", Musée de l'Élysée, Switzerland.
- 2014: "Liu Bolin: Fade in Italy," Boxart, Verona, Italy
- 2013: Liu Bolin, Galerie Paris-Beijing, Paris, France
- 2012: "Liu Bolin. A Secret Tour", Museo H.C. Andersen, Rome, Italy
- 2011: The Invisible Man, Klein Sun Gallery, New York, NY
- 2010: Hiding in the City, Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela
- 2008: China Report 2007, Klein Sun Gallery, New York, NY
- 1998: Haiyang Works Exhibition, Yantai, China
Group Exhibitions
- 2015: Interact: Deconstructing Spectatorship, The Courtauld Institute of Art, London, England
- 2011: Fotográfica Biennale, Museo de Fotografía, Bogotá, Colombia
- 2010: HomeLessHome, Museum on the Seam, Jerusalem, Israel
- 2009: The Big World: Recent Art from China, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, USA
- 2007: Les Rencontres d'Arles, Arles, France (a major photography festival)
- 2005: Considerable, West Lake International Sculpture Exhibition, Hangzhou, China
- 2001: "The Second Invitational Sculpture Exhibition of Contemporary Young Sculptors," Hangzhou, China
See also
In Spanish: Liu Bolin para niños
