Liu Bolin was born in 1973 in Shandong, China. He received his BA from Shandong College of Arts in 1995, and his MA from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2001. Liu Bolin currently resides and works in Beijing, China. Liu's art career began in the early 1990's when China emerged from the crushing effects of the Cultural Revolution and began its rapid economic growth and political stability.
Read MoreIn Liu Bolin's most famous series, Hiding in the City, nicknamed the 'Invisible Man,' he paints himself to blend into a background. Liu engages his audience to look for the 'Invisible Man,' who represent the forgotten men of the growing economic superpower, China. Traversing mediums such as performance, photography and social activism, Liu Bolin dissects the tense relationship between the individual and society by 'disappearing' into environments which are sites of intrigue, contention, and criticism. Both Liu Bolin's photos and sculptures have been displayed in numerous museums and institutions around the world, and he has collaborated with Kenny Scharf, JR, Jon Bon Jovi, Jean Paul Gaultier, Fernando Botero, Carlos Cruz-Diez and Annie Leibovitz.
In 2013, Liu presented a TED talk in Long Beach, California, a recording of which has accumulated millions of views online. In 2015, Liu was commissioned by United Nations backed campaign The Global Goals to create an image that conveyed 17 goals – including ending poverty, encouraging sustainable development and fight inequality and injustice – where he hid himself within 193 flags of the world. In 2017, Liu was a keynote speaker at the New York Times "Art for Tomorrow 2017" conference, stressing the importance of the artist's role to convey environmental issues in their works.
Liu Bolin has performed at institutions and venues including Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (2019), Art Basel Miami (2018) and Centre Pompidou (2017), among many others. His work is included in highly prestigious individual, corporate, foundation, and museum collections worldwide.
Liu's work has been exhibited worldwide in solo exhibitions including Liu Bolin, Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland (2019, Forthcoming); Liu Bolin: The Invisible Man, Erarta Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia (2018); Liu Bolin. The Invisible Man, Complesso Del Vittoriano, Rome, Italy (2018); L'homme caméléon, Le DIDAM, Bayonne, France (2018); Ghost Stories, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, France (2017); Galerie Party, Centre Pompidou – Acte II with Liu Bolin, Centre Pompidou, Galerie des enfants, Paris (2017); Migrants, Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Ramacca, Catania, Italy (2017); Art Hacker, Klein Sun Gallery, New York, NY (2016); Liu Bolin Solo Exhibition, Hadrien De Montferrand Gallery, Hangzhou, China (2016); Desapareciendo, Museo de Contemporáneo de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2015); Liu Bolin: Hiding in the City, Edwynn Houk Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland; Liu Bolin: Hiding in the City, Boise Art Museum, ID (2015); Liu Bolin, Dennos Museum, Traverse City, MI (2015).
Text courtesy Eli Klein Gallery
