Liu Bolin

LIU BOLIN (Shandong, 1973).
"#27" from the series "Hide in the city", 2008.
C-print on aluminum, 8/8 copy.
With label on the back.
2009 edition.
Some damage.
Measurements: 73 x 120 cm.

This photograph belongs to the most emblematic series of the Chinese artist Liu Bolin. "Hidden in the city" consisted of a series of photographed actions in which he mimicked urban environments, as a form of rebellion against the system. He conceived the project after the demolition by the Chinese authorities in 2005 of his and other artists' studios in Suo Jia Cun. This center was considered the largest congregation of artists in Asia. As an act of silent rebellion, he began this project of physical invisibilization in the urban context, intended to draw attention to the Chinese government's lack of protection for its own artists. Using his own body to paint himself on the landscape of various locations in Beijing, Liu provided a space for the Chinese artist, preserving his social status and highlighting his problematic relationship with the physical environment. In June 2011 Liu created the "Hidden in New York" series, in which he incorporated cultural icons of New York.

Liu Bolin is a Chinese artist, sculptor and photographer. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of Arts, Shandong University, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing in 2001. He has also held numerous exhibitions in various countries. Liu belongs to the generation that came of age in the early 1990s, when China was recovering from the Cultural Revolution and beginning to enjoy rapid economic growth and a relatively stable political scene. Since his first solo shows in 1998, Liu's work has received international recognition. His photographs and sculptures have been exhibited at the Les Rencontres d'Arles photography festival, Dashanzi Art Zone in Beijing (2007), Bertin-Toublanc Galleries in Paris (2007), Klein Sun Gallery in New York (2008), Galerie Paris-Beijing in Paris and Brussels (2013), Boxart in Verona (2008), and the Forma Foundation for Photography in Milan (2010), among others. In 2009, he created the sculpture "Burning Man Obama" in honor of Barack Obama, to celebrate the US president's visit to China. In 2013, Liu designed the visual art for Bon Jovi's What About Now album.