Issue No. 28 – Control

What is the nature of control? The desire for it—and to be free of it—are essential parts of both life and art.

From Our Archives: Liu Bolin

From Our Archives: Liu Bolin

Liu Bolin, Hiding in New York No. 8-Cereal, 2013

This interview was featured in Issue No. 10 Vol. 1 - Ritual

Musée Magazine: What inspired your “hidden” series of photographs?

Liu Bolin: At the end of 2005, I was living in Beijing and working as an artist’s assistant. Beijing’s art world at this time was thriving. All 140 artists in Suo Jia Cun were exclusively making art, and this is what I knew I wanted to do. On November 16, 2006 when Suo Jia Cun was forcibly demolished, I decided to use my works to make a stand against this atrocity. I wanted to show the state of artists in society, that their living and working places had not been protected. The stillness of my body during the production of the work is a silent protest. The insistence of my body and its resistance to movement and nature are both reflected in my work. I’m fighting for freedom and for the social status of the artist with my body.


Musée: How has your experience of urban environments changed as you have traveled across the globe?

Liu: Starting in 2006, I have had many opportunities to exhibit my works globally, so every year I am able to participate in the foreign art world. My works have travelled from Asia, Europe, and North America, to South America, India, and the Middle East. Due to the global economic crisis and subsequent recovery during the times of my travels, I have experienced how cities change as the world economy changes. I travelled to London in 2008, and went back again this year. In comparing these two experiences, I feel that this city has gone through such a dramatic change after the London Olympics—the food for example. Of course, the whole social structure, culture, language and so on have transformed greatly; it really feels like we’re in a Global Village.


Musée: What motivated the incorporation of commodities into the series?

Liu: That has actually been a theme for some time. From 2009, the “instant noodle” elements have started to appear in my Hiding in the City series. Beginning with that work, I have become more con- cerned with food safety issues. Before that time, I never considered that food that goes in your mouth could contain harmful additives. However, news stories regarding food issues broke out in the media in 2009, and in 2011, plasticizer was discovered in food. Now, there are even issues with genetically modified food. My solo exhibition in New York, A Colorful World? is in fact a reflection and criticism on food safety—it presents the threat that food safety problems impose on human lives and portrays my concern. I have a series of work in this exhibition that conjoins the packages of chemically altered food with human destruction, forming a contradiction. It is an attempt to visually present pop art that is also an expression of concern about the future of human fate. 

Liu Bolin, Hiding in the City No. 83-Supermarket, 2009

Musée: How long does it typically take to create one of your “hidden” photographs?

Liu: After I have selected the background, I then consider the position in which I will stand, the direction that I will face, the distance of the camera, and the best way to record this photograph. Once I have chosen the position of myself and of the camera, the composition of the work is fundamentally defined as well. At this time, I will converse with my assistants, on topics such as what color is the obstructed background, how to paint that obstructed background, how to paint in general, what am I looking for at the beginning of the process, what am I looking for as an end result, how to focus on the key point, how to make the process faster and better, how to make the color of the obstructed background emerge on my body, etc. After I have successfully finished communicating with my assistants, my task is to stand in the pre-selected position, without any movement. At that time, I am just a model, coordinating with my assistants as they try as adroitly as possible to complete the work. To finish one work, it will take 3-4 hours.


Musée: Do you work with the same team of assistants when you travel?

Liu: My studio is in Beijing. There I have assistants who help me complete my sculptures, paintings, and photography— including the painting on me for my Hiding in the City works, and also my new Target series. When I am shooting abroad, I recruit skilled artists from the local area to assist me with the painting aspect of the works of Hiding in the City. As for the photographer, I generally work with Zachary Bako, an American. We met four years ago in New York, and three years ago he came to China to help me photograph some works. He has helped me complete many of my works, including the ones in the Americas and in England.


Musée: Your works disturb conventional figure-ground relationships. They are like trompe-l’oeil paintings in reverse. What does it feel like to blend into your environment? How is your experience looking at the final image different from your experience actually being on the street?

Liu: As an artist, I will predict the visual effect of the final result of my work and my position in it when I am shooting. So far, however, there have been many instances when I look at the final product of my work, and I cannot find myself immediately. It is a very strange feeling. Whenever I am standing [during the process of my work], I keep communicating with my assistants to come up with the most effective and efficient way to complete the work because the longer it takes to create the work, the more physical energy I lose. Whenever I am physically enervated in a project, I rely on willpower to pull through and finish up the work, and this kind of dedication to art and the struggle in life will reflect in the work. As a result, my works all manifest a kind of devotion to art and to life.

Liu Bolin, Hiding in the City-Vegetables, 2011.

Musée: What is the strangest thing that has happened during the construction of one of your photographs?

Liu: I think the most interesting aspect is probably the change. Nobody understood my work when I started ten years ago. Gradually people began to understand the work and the ideas behind them. Now, many people want to participate in the making of my artworks. Looking at this from my point of view is really fascinating because the initial thought of my creation is to reflect my personal ideals onto humankind as a whole. Now that there are people from all over the world participating in the works of this series, it certainly corresponds to my original artistic intention and vision.


Musée: What happens to the clothes that you wear after you take each photograph?

Liu: At the beginning of the Hiding in the City series, I didn’t have much money. One set of the clothes was used to paint two or three works. After each photograph, I would keep the clothing. Now, I only use one set of clothes for each artwork. After the artwork is finished, I preserve the clothing. In my storehouse in Beijing, I have several large boxes to keep the clothes. I have taken many measures to prevent dampness and protect against insects. I think that if there is an opportunity in the future, I can hold a specialized exhibition of the clothing. 

For the full version of Liu Bolin’s interview, check out Issue No. 10 Vol. 1 - Ritual

Flash Fiction: Breathe

Flash Fiction: Breathe

Parallel Lines: Elisa Medde

Parallel Lines: Elisa Medde