Chinese photographer Liu Bolin treats his body as a canvas. Known as
The Invisible Man, Bolin uses body paint to camouflage himself, blending seamlessly into the background.
He adopted his technique almost a decade ago, treating it firstly as a political act. “It was November 16, 2005, when the City of Beijing decided to knock down the Suojia Village neighborhood, where my studio once was,” he shared with Elle Decor. “In protest, I decided to take a photo camouflaging myself into the ruble of my studio to draw attention to the conditions of artists like myself.”
“In my works, I use my body and that of others to explore the impact and the paradoxical relationship with the ‘backdrop’, or the surrounding environment,” he explained. “I think using a body as the central image has a strong impact and attracts more attention from the public. This language is also a great way to represent my thoughts on the paradoxical relationship between man and the world. Have you ever asked yourself why man, other species, or ecosystems disappear?”
Can you spot him in the photos below?
