Liu Bolin

Biography

Born in 1973 in Shandong, China, Liu Bolin graduated from the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing with a Masters Degree. His areas of work are diverse in several forms such as sculpture, photography and painting, and often focus on exploring human nature and animal instincts.

Liu has successfully gained international recognition ever since his first solo show in Beijing in 1998. His works have been displayed at major contemporary photography festival Les Recontres d'Arles and he had solo shows at Dashanzi Art Zone in Beijing (2007), Galerie Bertin-Toublanc in Paris (2007), Eli Klein Fine Art in New York (2008), Boxart Gallery in Verona (2008), Forma Foundation for Photography in Milan (2010). He also created an effigy of U.S. President Obama in his honor, to celebrate the President’s visit to China.

The artist currently resides and works in Beijing, China. 

Article

Eyes Blindfolded
The series is composed of monochromatic red or white boys that are hiding their eyes. In these pieces of work, Liu plays with the contrast between the use of a bright colour and a smooth material cast in a positive physical pose (youthful bodies, radiant smiles, arched and energetic positions...) - elements that easily draw your attention - and the handicap that characterises each one of these young boys since they are all deprived of their sight. These figures are portrayed at a particularly influencable age to powerfully reflect a generation seeking to free itself from a simplistic education with little choice but to obey.  These little men seem to be saying "but I didn't know, I'm not informed of anything" and as they seem unaware of the world around them they are no doubt saved from much pain. Whether they are born blind or blinded by others, they remain dependent on those that govern them and appear fairly happy this way. Liu Bolin created them in series, like branded products en masse.

In Red Hands, people become blind.

Liu Bolin creates a world that appears to be fun and full of bright colours but is in reality uncaring, a reflection of the post Cultural Revolution era to which he belongs. Liu, who considers himself a more realistic than idealistic artist, has managed to express visually a feeling of unease, according to which, despite appearances, everything is not quite right.

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