The invisible man: Liu Bolin's amazing camouflage artwork
At
first glance, this may look like a photograph of shelves in a
supermarket. But look more closely and you may see a man painstakingly
painted to blend in with the colourful background. Chinese artist Liu
Bolin has become world renowned for his camouflage art. Liu uses a team
of two assistants to paint the camouflage onto him to make him
invisible, and each photograph can take up to ten hours to set up. In
some cases, Liu has his assistants paint his body and then he remains
extremely still until an unsuspecting passer-by happens to walk past.
He says he sees his work as a statement on the world and its anonymous
inhabitants. "My urban camouflage paint series began after Suojia Village
Art Campus where I was working was shut down by the Chinese government,"
said the 38-year-old artist. "My resistance to the force of governments
made me experience the life of people with no social status, no job, no
family, no income and this was the emotional reason I began my series of
works. My pieces talk about the question of the social status of art in
general. In my work the artist is hiding to restore his strength and to
protect himself."
Liu Bolin poses on the Great Wall of China
He has toured his work across the globe for the past five years, and is
looking forward to a new exhibition at the Eli Klein Fine Art Gallery in New
York in 2011.
Liu Bolin poses in the Royal Box at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan
Liu Bolin poses in one of the seats at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan
Liu Bolin poses for his work entitled 'American National Flag'
Liu Bolin poses in front of a digger for his work entitled 'Forklifts'
Liu Bolin poses by the Ponte di Rialto in Venice
Liu Bolin stands on a bridge in Venice
Liu Bolin poses on a balcony while at the Milan World Expo
Liu Bolin poses on the Ponte di Castelvecchio in Verona, Italy
Liu Bolin poses on the Duomo di Milano in Milan, Italy
Liu Bolin poses in front of some graffiti
Liu Bolin poses by the Bird's Nest Olympic stadium in Beijing
"Friendship is mutual reciprocity of affection and purpose". -- Aristotle.
"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom". -- Marcel Proust.
"Friendship
of goodness depends on love, on likeness, on recognition, on
reciprocity, on activity, on quality of characters, and on sharing of
life", as understood by Aristotle. 
“The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.” -- William Blake.
"What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies." -- Aristotle.
"The only way to have a friend is to be one". -- Ralph Waldo Emerson.
"The language of friendship is not words but meanings." -- Henry David Thoreau.
