Friday, 2 November 2012

China's most interesting Artist & Painter :Liu Bolin aka the Invisible Man

Of all the Chinese Artists that have emerged in recent years. Ai weiwei seems to be the most prominent, but is he really known for his creative art or his political activism? We should all agree it's the latter. I'm not going to talk about him rather about a man called Liu Bolin aka the invisible man!

Never heard of him? Well you soon will. His art has taken the internet by storm. His work combine painting, installation, sculpture & photography into a repeated visual pattern so versatile that each image resonate with a different meaning- power, repression , suffering ,luxury.

His work takes hrs to prepare. Liu stands still as in meditation & his assistants turn him into canvas. They painted on him (body, face, clothes, hair), blending him into the surrounding. Often it's difficult to detect him after the work has been done, but Liu prefers not to just fade into the environment or scene he likes  to move slightly so that people look (got it!!!!) & thus think about art!!!! His shtick is immediately identifiable! His art has since become phenomenon, and demand is booming.

Only about 7 years ago, he's a struggling artist living in Shandong Province. His village was demolished while he watched helplessly. That trauma help birthed his signature first invention : a picture of him standing in front of his destroyed home, his face & clothes painted so that he blend into the debris left behind by the demolition. He describe this as a silent conversation of the conflict between man and society- fates intertwined.

I like what he does, it's creative, smart & he delivers a message

11 comments:

  1. Funny this is even consider art.

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    1. Why not? It's different & interesting !

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  2. Interesting message, but all the work is done by the assistants .....lol.....

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    1. It's the thought & message that counts in this sense. Art is about that too, sending a message. Not just painting something pretty- that , everyone can do.

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  3. I still prefer art that's beautiful & can hang on my wall :)

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  4. Well he makes the world look at art through his eyes, isn't that enough?
    Whether you understand or even approve of it, does it really matters?

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  5. So what it suggest?
    One get lost in the crowd/ in life ?
    Or we are all invisible in the midst of things/life?

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    1. Depends on who sees it. That's ART !!!

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    2. Most people will think that it's interesting, that's all.
      The deeper meaning, I don't think the normal people will even "think" of it.

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    3. That's why they have classes you can go to, for "Art Appreciation"- they teach you how to do that there...lol..

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  6. Agreed it's interesting & special ,But how these sort of art sells?

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