Chinese artist Liu Bolin has been disappearing for years now. Using his own body as a canvas, painting himself into the background, Bolin creates scenes that are statements about our relationship to our surroundings, and reflections on Chinese artists and their status in modern China. Beginning as performance art in 2005, his work includes series titled "Hiding in the City" and "The Invisible Man." Collected below are several of his performances from the past few years.
Liu Bolin: The Invisible Man
-
Liu Bolin, a Chinese artist, waits for the finishing touches to his camouflage, before being completely blended into the background, in front of a shelf lined with comic books, as part of a series of performances in Caracas, Venezuela, on November 2, 2013. Liu, known as "the invisible man" for using painted-on camouflage to blend into the backdrops of his photographs, will be performing in Caracas till November 6. #
Reuters/Jorge Silva -
-
A photo series shows stages of Chinese artist Liu Bolin being painted during a happening at the Grand Palais in Paris, on April 1, 2011. Bolin, from Shandong, China, manages to camouflage himself in any surroundings, standing silently in front of his chosen scene in locations all around the world, the 37-year-old artist uses himself as a blank canvas. #
Bertrand Langlois/AFP/Getty Images -
-
Liu Bolin waits for his colleagues to put a finishing touch on him to blend into rows of soft drinks in his artwork entitled "Plasticizer," to express his speechlessness at use of plasticizer in food additives, in his studio at the 798 Art District in Beijing, China, on August 10, 2011. #
AP Photo -
-
A participant is painted to make her look exactly the same as the seats of a theatre, during Liu Bolin's new project, in Beijing, on September 12, 2013. The work, called "Red Theatre", is one of more than 100 "invisible works" Liu has completed since 2005. #
Reuters/Jason Lee -
-
-
Chinese artist Liu Bolin is painted by students of the Stuttgart art academy in front of a wall with different magazines in the Kunstverein (art association) in Ludwigsburg, Germany, on May 15, 2013. #
Bernd Weissbrod/AFP/Getty Images -
-
-
People watch as Liu is prepared to be blended completely into the background in front of a shelf lined with comic books, as part of a series of performances in Caracas, Venezuela, on November 2, 2013. #
Reuters/Jorge Silva -
-
-
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.