Beijing-based artist Liu Bolin is the master of blending in with the world around him — no matter what the environment. Which is ironic, considering as he explained to The Daily Mail last year, “The inspiration behind my work was a sense of not fitting in to modern society and was a silent protest against the persecution of artists… My work is a kind of reminder, to remind people what the community we live in really looks like, and what kind of problems exist.”
In The Invisible Man, his third solo show at Eli Klein Fine Art, Liu’s self-camouflage skills are prominently displayed in a series of large-scale photographs — snapped both in his home country and during a recent trip to Italy — which take up to 10 hours each to complete. The artist has also spent the past month working on a new series, Hiding in New York, which will make its official debut later this year. Click through to preview a few images of Liu Bolin disappearing around NYC, as well as some of our favorite pieces from the show up at Eli Klein through August 28th.
Liu Bolin, from the Hiding In New York series. Photo credit: Joe Russo via Arrested Motion
Liu Bolin, from the Hiding In New York series. Photo credit: Samdarko Eltosam via Wooster Collective
Liu Bolin, Dragon Series Panel 2 of 9, 2010. Photo courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art
Liu Bolin, Hiding in the City No. 92- Temple of Heaven, 2010. Photo courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art
Liu Bolin, Hiding in the City No. 93 – Supermarket No. 2, 2010. Photo courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art
Liu Bolin, Hiding in the City No. 94- In the Woods, 2010. Photo courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art
Liu Bolin, Hiding in the City No. 95- Coal Pile, 2010. Photo courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art
Liu Bolin, Hiding in the City No. 87, 2009. Photo courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art
Liu Bolin, Hiding in the City No. 86, 2009. Photo courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art
Liu Bolin, Hiding in the City No. 85, 2009. Photo courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art
Liu Bolin, Hiding in the City No. 84, 2009. Photo courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art
Liu Bolin, Royal Box at Teatro alla Scala, 2010. Photo courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art
Liu Bolin, Lagoon City of Venice, 2010. Photo courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art
Liu Bolin, Piazza San Marco, 2010. Photo courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art
Liu Bolin, Duomo di Milano, 2010. Photo courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art