Liu Bolin – Hiding in Plain Sight exhibit at the Dennos Museum Center

The Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College will present the exhibition Liu Bolin – Hiding in Plain Sight from September 20 – November 29, 2015.

Liu Bolin (Chinese, b. 1973) is a contemporary artist whose has gained an international reputation by painting himself into his surrounding environment. In recent years he has traveled the world blending into the background of the place he finds himself at the time, from graffiti in New York City to cathedrals in Europe.

But the origin of his use of this technique began in China as a silent protest of government actions that impacted him personally and Chinese society as a whole. In 2005 the Chinese government demolished Bolin’s studio and those of other artists in the artist village of Sou Jia Cun. In response to this action a protest exhibition was organized. Bolin’s artistic statement was to employ the technique for which he has become noted, that of identifying a location, in this case the demolished studio, then standing in that location while his assistants painted on his clothes, face and hands a replication of the background his body was blocking so that when done he had blended into that background. He was then photographed in place creating the image.

For Bolin this was a performance art piece symbolizing the attempt of the government to make the artist disappear via the destruction of his studio and in doing so becoming a silent protest of the government’s actions. Out of this grew a broader effort to call attention to the impact of the growing change taking place in China. The relationship between the state and society and the challenge he faced as a contemporary artist to comment on issues facing a changing China led to the series Hiding in the City. Using the city as a backdrop, he painted himself into an ever-changing landscape, blending into the city – hiding in plain sight. Most of the images presented in this exhibition are from that series.

Liu first attended the Shandong Arts Institute, later receiving an MFA in Sculpture from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. He has exhibited his work in Beijing, Shanghai, Paris, New York, Miami, and in other cities around the world. He currently lives and works in Beijing.

This exhibition is made possible with the cooperation of Klein Sun Gallery, NYC, and support from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Art and Mary Schmuckal Fund, the Robert T. and Ruth Haidt Hughes Memorial Endowment Fund.

The Dennos Museum Center is open Monday to Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM, Thursday until 8 PM and Sundays 1-5 PM. Admission is $6.00 adults, $4.00 children and free to museum members. For more information on the Museum and its programs, go to www.dennosmuseum.org or call (231) 995-1055. The Dennos Museum Center is located at 1410 College Drive, Traverse City, MI 49686, at the entrance to the campus of Northwestern Michigan College.

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Liu Bolin – Hiding in Plain Sight

 

Background – Liu Bolin bio

Better known as “The Invisible Man” in media circles, Liu Bolin sprang from a generation of artists struggling with the consequences of the Cultural Revolution. Born in 1973 in Shandong, China, Liu studied sculpture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Moved by the rapid economic development in China, he discusses the social concerns of his home country through his artistic practice, most prominently through his ‘camouflage’ installations. Traversing mediums such as performance, photography and social activism, Liu dissects the tense relationship between the individual and society by ‘disappearing’ into environments which are sites of intrigue, contention and criticism.

Liu’s work has been exhibited worldwide in solo shows including “Cameleon,” Centro Roberto Garza Sada, Universidad de Monterrey, Cuauhtemoc, Mexico (2015); “Disappearing,” Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2015); “Liu Bolin,” Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID (2015); “Liu Bolin,” Dennos Museum, Traverse City, MI (2015); “Liu Bolin,” Cyrus M. Running Gallery, Concordia College, Moorhead, MN (2015); “Liu Bolin, Camouflages Urabins,” Fondation d’Entreprise Espace Écureuil Pour l’Art Contemporain, France (2013); “Liu Bolin: The Invisible Man,” Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, Brattleboro, VT (2013); “Invisible Man,” Pingyao international Photography Festival, Pingyao, China (2013); “Liu Bolin: A Secret Tour,” Museo H.C. Andersen, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Rome, Italy (2012); “The Invisible Man,” Ekaterina Cultural Foundation, Moscow, Russia (2012); “Hiding in Italy,” Forma Centro Internazionale DI Fotografia, Milano, Italy (2010); “Hiding in the City,” Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela (2010); “Liu Bolin,” International Art Museum, Songzhuang, Beijing, China (2010); and “Liu Bolin,” Bridge Art Center, Beijing, China (2008).

His group shows include “Immortal Present: Art and East Asia,” Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA (2015); “Target,” Bienal de Performance 2015, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2015); “Focus on the Future – What Makes Us,” Tokyo International Photography Festival, Art Factory Jonanjima, Tokyo, Japan (2015); “East Wing Biennial: INTERACT,” The Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, London, England (2015); “Chinese Contemporary Photography: 2009-2014,” Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai, China (2014); “Reflection of Minds,” Shanghai MoCA, Shanghai, China (2010); “Armed & Dangerous: Art of the Arsenal,” Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA (2010); “International Contemporary Art Invitational Exhibition,” Seoul Art Museum, Seoul, Korea (2009); “The Big World: Recent Art from China,” Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL (2009); and “Camouflage,” La Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain (2009).

His works are in major collections such as the M+ Museum Uli Sigg Collection, Hong Kong; Foundation Ariane de Rothschild, Madrid, Spain; Princeton University Art Museum, New Jersey; Fist Art Foundation, Dorado, Puerto Rico; the Fidelity Corporate Art Collection, Boston, MA; The Red Mansion Foundation, London, UK; Museo Enzo Ferrari, Modena, Italy and; DSL Collection, Paris, France. He presented a TED Talk in 2013 at Long Beach, California and has performed at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina as part of the Biennial of Performance, 2015.