Track findings on anything interesting from Art and Design (architecture, fashion, fine-art, interior decoration, product design, and almost any form of aesthetics).

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Fine Art

The Invisible Artist: Liu Bolin


























Liu Bolin is an artist from Shandong, China, who camouflaged himself into the surroundings. He claims his works as making a statement about his place in society. He sees himself as an outsider whose artistic efforts are not always valued, especially in his native country.

































Standing silently in front of his chosen scene, in locations all around the world, the 36-year-old uses himself as a blank canvas. Then, with a little help from an assistant, he paints his body to merge as seamlessly as possible with what is behind him.
 He added that the inspiration behind his work was a sense of not fitting in to modern society and was a silent protest against the persecution of artists. He said: 'Some people call me the invisible man, but for me it's what is not seen in a picture which is really what tells the story.


'After graduating from school I couldn't find suitable work and I felt there was no place for me in society.
I experienced the dark side of society, without social relations, and had a feeling that no one cared about me, I felt myself unnecessary in this world.'
 'From that time, my attitude turned from dependence into revolting against the system.'


































Liu said he was further pushed on with his work when the Chinese authorities shut down his art studio in Beijing in 2005.


3 comments:

  1. I think Liu Bolin has a peculiar way of expressing himself through his artworks. As mentioned above, Liu Bolin “claims his works as making a statement about his place in society.” Thus I feel by camouflaging himself into his surroundings, he is indirectly telling the viewers how he feels. Perhaps he wants the viewers to put themselves into his shoes when they see his works, as we all know "a picture is worth a thousand words".
    - 1003742B

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  2. I can see that the way he feels is clearly depicted in his art work.
    His art pieces are brillant as he can get the exact colour and pattern to camouflauge himself totally especially in the first and fourth picture.
    In addition ,hey are detailed.For instance, the slit on the roof(pic 1) and creases on his pants.
    His art pieces are indeed eye-opening.

    Melissa Low 1001328B

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  3. Camouflage art engaged viewers into the picture as they would be searching for the hidden subject and message from the artist could be conveyed and understood. Like many others, I enjoyed looking at the artworks and I think they are brilliant. I appreciated the time and dedication the artist had put into each installation pieces.

    I have did some research and found out that other artists such as Desiree Palmen and Emma Hack also used camouflage as the same concept to display their artworks. I believed that this art style may/may have become a trend among artists soon.


    - Zhu Lijuan
    (1003427J)

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