Liu Bolin is a Chinese based artist who gained international attention in 2005, when the Chinese Government shut down his studio. Born in Shandong, China, 1973, Bolin attended the Central Academy of fine arts in Bejing. After setting up shop in Suojiacun, the Chinese Government bulldozed the buildings of the village for Olympic redevelopment, leaving him as well as hundreds of others homeless. In protest to what was being done, Bolin returned to the wreckage with two friends who painted his body to camouflage into the scenery as a silent protest. This was the inspiration for his work “Hiding in The City”, along with many other exhibitions, representing how easily one can become invisible when they don’t fit in with society. His work has been exhibited in China, France, Italy, The United States, and Korea, and continues he to use it as a silent messages to his cause.
I did a mostly straight-forward adaption of his work, though I focused more on head shots as opposed to the full body, because Bolin spends up to 10 hours masking himself completely. For logistical reasons, I mostly relied on other people as my canvas rather than using myself (although I did experience of being a canvas one time). These are examples of the more successful pieces.
