“Hiding in the City No. 2”

Referring to him as “l’artiste caméléon” (the chameleon artist), Paris Match’s June 2013 issue has featured an interview with Lui Bolin, a Chinese artist whose work is reflective of social and economic issues in China.

Born in Shangdong Province in 1973, Bolin has been on the Chinese and international art scenes since the early 90s. He has often characterised himself as a product of a post-Cultural revolution generation which witnessed extensive rapid growth and development in China. This is reflected in his distinguishing artistic style in which he camouflages himself into his work.

“Supermarket II”

His most celebrated series, “Hiding in the City”, was generated in 2005 in protest of the destruction of the Beijing artists colony Suo Jia Cun at the hands of the Chinese police.

According to reports, the Chinese government did not want artists living and working in a communal setting. Bolin therefore painted his entire body to blend into the background of a demolished studio. He has since done so all over China and also, more recently, in Venice and New York.

Can you find Bolin in his pieces?

To read the article in Paris Match (in French), click here. To watch his TedTalk from May 2013, click here.