On the occasion of his third solo show at Gallery Magda Danysz, this internationally famous artist, whose the nickname is "the invisible man", shows a new series of unpublished photographs.
Liu Bolin is part of this generation of Chinese artists who are very sensitive to political, economic, social and environmental transformations of their country. With his series "Hiding in the City", started in 2005, he became a national and international symbol, sometimes admired, sometimes controversial. From this period he is still working on this approach and he brushes himself from head to feet with the aim to hide himself in various places. Each time he chooses supermarkets, historical monuments or jewels of architecture which become symbols of the contemporary society. His works, between "photography and performance" according to art critic Philippe Dagen, reveals the delicate balance of China between tradition and modernity.
In this exhibition, Liu Bolin continues his own thinking on the evolution of the society and gives us a look particularly relevant on the contemporaneity. Here he links himself to the cultural and pictorial Chinese tradition hiding sometimes in a portrait of Mao, sometimes in front of an iconic gate of the Forbidden City. Through his photographs, Liu Bolin raises the question of the place of the individual in our contemporary society. He suggests to the viewer some key issues: what is the place of the body in the current social environment, how to merge or, otherwise, stand out in such or such other socio-cultural landscape? He also says "my clairvoyance prevents me to be happy and as an artist, my only way to express my feelings is to reveal them in my work and try to use them to wake up everyone around me."
Nowadays recognized all over the world as one of the most famous photographers of his generation; Liu Bolin doesn’t lack of daring. This exhibition is an opportunity to discover all the talent of this great artist, from historical works to his most recent pieces.
About the exhibition
Duration: 23 May, 2015 to 20 June, 2015
Opening: 23 May, 2015
Venue: Gallery Magda Danysz
Address: 188 Linqing Road (x Pingliang Road), Shanghai
Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Magda Danysz.
