Secondo Liu Bolin: «Il camaleonte ha la straordinaria prerogativa di cambiare colore per uniformarsi al colore dello sfondo come forma di auto-protezione [mentre] gli esseri umani non sono animali perché non sanno proteggere se stessi».

Liu Bolin nasce nel 1973 nella provincia nord-orientale dello Shandong.

Durante la sua formazione avvenuta all’interno della rinomata Accademia Centrale d’Arte Applicata diviene allievo del celebre artista Sui Jianguo, suo mentore agli inizi della carriera. Liu Bolin cresce e si forma nel fermento che coincide con l’inizio del rapido sviluppo economico e di una relativa stabilità politica per la Cina, un periodo di profondi cambiamenti testimoniati negli scatti della serie Hiding in the City che lo hanno reso famoso, in cui tocca i temi universali del rapporto uomo-natura e tra pensiero e potere politico.

La ricerca in questo solco è iniziata nel 2005 nel Suojia Village di Pechino, smantellato nel novembre di quell’anno dalle autorità, e non si è ancora arrestata. 

La sua prima mostra personale risale al 1998 a Pechino, seguita da altre due rassegne circa dieci anni dopo, sempre della capitale cinese: Sculpture, all’Hotsun Art Space nel distretto 798 Art Zone (2007); Distortion, Hotsun Art Space, Dashanzi Art District (2007). Da allora le sue foto e le sculture tipiche della sua produzione sono state esposte nel più importante festival di fotografia contemporanea Les Rencontres d'Arles e in prestigiosi musei internazionali.

Tra i più recenti solo show vanno ricordati: Liu Bolin. Hiding in Florence, Palazzo Vecchio, Firenze (2023), La forma profonda del reale, Università Bocconi, Milano (2019); Liu Bolin.Visible/Invisible, Mudec - Museo delle Culture, Milano (2019); The Theatre of Appearances al Musée de l’Elysée, Losanna (2019); Liu Bolin. The Invisible Man, Palacio de Gaviria, Madrid (2019); Liu Bolin. The Invisible Man, Complesso del Vittoriano, Roma (2018); Liu Bolin: The Invisible Man, Erarta Museum, San Pietroburgo (2018); Ghost Stories, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Parigi (2017); Galerie Party, Centre Pompidou – Acte II with Liu Bolin, Centre Pompidou, Galerie des enfants, Parigi (2017).

Nel 2015 il Museo de Contemporáneo di Buenos Aires lo invita per la personale Desapareciendo; l’anno successivo gli viene commissionato per il palazzo di New York, sede delle Nazioni Unite, il progetto We Are What We Eat. In Europa il lavoro dell’artista è stato divulgato anche attraverso le mostre italiane A Secret Tour al Museo H.C. Andersen di Roma (2012) e Hiding in Italy alla Fondazione Forma per la Fotografia di Milano (2010), e con la personale in Svezia The Invisible Man al Fotografiska Museet di Stoccolma (2011).

Liu Bolin ha partecipato a diversi progetti artistici che lo hanno visto collaborare con altri importanti artisti contemporanei internazionali quali Botero, JR, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Kenny Scharf e Rero.

Nel 2013 ha partecipato in qualità di relatore ai TED di Los Angeles.

Liu Bolin ha inoltre collaborato con diversi marchi di lusso del mondo della moda, come Valentino, Jean Paul Gaultier, Tod’s e altri. È stato testimonial per il 2017/2018 del marchio Moncler, in una campagna firmata da Annie Leibovitz, e nel 2018 è stato artista dell’anno della champagneria francese Ruinart.

Nel 2023 tre scatti del ciclo Hiding in Florence, realizzato nel 2022 e costituito da sei opere, sono entrati a far parte della collezione permanente delle Gallerie degli Uffizi: Sala della Niobe, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Firenze; Sala di Venere, Palazzo Pitti, Firenze e Sala Bianca, Palazzo Pitti, Firenze. Si tratta della più ampia collezione di autoritratti al mondo.

L'anno successivo Liu Bolin torna in Italia per realizzare una delle sue performance ancora una volta a Milano, nella sede storica della libreria Hoepli.

Oggi vive e lavora a Pechino.

Mostre personali

2024

Mimetismi: in natura e nell'arte di Liu Bolin, Museo di Scienze e Archeologia di Rovereto, Rovereto (TN), Italia

2023

Liu Bolin. Hiding in Florence, Palazzo Vecchio, Firenze, Italia

2019 

La forma profonda del reale, Università Bocconi, Milano, Italia
Liu Bolin / Camouflage, Ballarat International Foto Biennale, Victoria, Australia
Visible/Invisible, Mudec Museo delle Culture, Milano, Italia
Liu Bolin. The Invisible Man, Palacio De Gaviria, Madrid, Spagna
Liu Bolin, Musée de l’Elysée, Losanna, Svizzera
New Change, Over the Influence Gallery, Hong Kong

2018

Liu Bolin. The Invisible Man, Complesso del Vittoriano, Ala Brasini, Roma, Italia
The Invisible Man, Erarta Museum, San Pietroburgo, Russia
The Theatre of Appearances, Musée de l’Elysée, Losanna, Svizzera
The Imperceptible, Il Faut Le Faire, Goussainville, Francia
Liu Bolin – Vanishing Point, BAFA Contemporary, UK
Liu Bolin | Hiding in the City, Le Didam, Bayonne, Francia

2017

Ghost Stories, Maison Européenne de la Photografie, Parigi, Francia
Migrants, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Ramacca, Catania, Italia
Migrants, Magda Danysz Gallery, Shangai, Cina
Undercover, Odalys Gallery, Madrid, Spagna
Galerie Party Act II, Galerie des Enfants Centre Pompidou, Parigi, Francia

2016

Art Hacker, Klein Sun Gallery, New York, USA
Art from the streets, CAFA Art Museum, Pechino, Cina
We are what we eat, United Nations Headquarters, New York, Usa
Take me out, Chi K11 Art Museum, Shangai, Cina
Take me out, Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery, Shangai, Cina

2015

Disappearing, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina 
Disappearing, Cyrus M. Running Gallery, Concordia College, New York, USA 
Camaleon, Centro Roberto Garza Sada, Universidad de Monterrey, Monterrey Messico 
The Distance to The Eyes, Magda Danysz Gallery, Shanghai, Cina
The Distance to The Eyes, Galerie Paris-Beijing, Parigi, Francia
Camuflaje, Galería Oscar Román, Mexico City, Messico

2014

In Plain Sight: Photographs by Liu Bolin, University of Saint Joseph, West Hartford, Connecticut, USA 
Fade in Italy, Boxart Galleria d’Arte, Verona, Italia 
Hiding in the city, MCLEMOI Gallery, Sydney, Australia 
The Heroic apparition, Scream Gallery, Londra, UK 
Works on paper, Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery, Pechino, Cina 
Hiding in the city, Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery, Hanzou, Cina

2013

Invisible man, The 13th China Pingyao International Photography Festival, Pingyao, Cina
Mimesis, La Cometa Gallery, Bogotá, ColombiaMask, Eli Klein Fine Art, New York, NY, USA
Liu Bolin – ein Meister der Tarnung, Kunstverein Ludwigsburg, Ludwigsburg, Germania
Liu Bolin, Camouflages Urbains, Fondation d’Entreprise Espace Écureuil Pour l’Art Contemporain, Tolosa, Francia
Liu Bolin: The Invisible Man, Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, Brattleboro, Vermont, USA
Invisible Man, Pingyao International Photography Festival, Pingyao, Cina

2012

Retrospective, Magda Danysz Gallery, Shanghai, Cina
Hide in the city, Ekaterina Cultural Foundation, Mosca, Russia
Liu Bolin, The Longyear Museum of Anthropology, Colgate University, Hamilton, New York, USA
Liu Bolin, Photographers Limited Editions, Vienna, Austria
Liu Bolin: A Secret Tour, Museo H.C. Andersen, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Roma, Italia
Lost in Art, Eli Klein Fine Art, New York, NY, USA
Liu Bolin: The Sociology of the Invisible Body, California State University Northridge Art Galleries, Northridge, California, USA

2011

The Invisible Man, Eli Klein Fine Art, New York, NY, USA
Liu Bolin, Fotografiska Museet, Stoccolma, Svezia
The Invisible Man, Vänermuseet, Lidköping, Svezia
The Invisible Man, Paris-Beijing Photo Gallery 798 Art Zone, Pechino, Cina

2010

Hiding in Italia, Fondazione FORMA per la Fotografia, Milano
Hiding in the City, Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela
Hiding in the City, Sunshine International Art Museum, Songzhuang, Pechino, Cina
Hiding in the City, Sylvia White Gallery, Ventura, California, USA
Liu Bolin, Young Gallery, Bruxelles, Belgio
Liu Bolin, Eli Klein Fine Art, New York, USA

2009

Hiding in the City, Galeria Tagomago, Barcelona, Spagna
Getting Accustomed to Being Impermanent, Vanguard Gallery, Shanghai, Cina
Hiding in the City, Yu Gallery, Parigi, Francia

2008

Hide and seek, Boxart Galleria d’Arte, Verona, Italia
Liu Bolin, Bertin--Toublanc Gallery, Parigi, Francia
Liu Bolin, 798 Art Zone, Beijing, Cina
Liu Bolin, Bridge Art Center, Pechino, Cina
Liu Bolin, Eastlink Gallery, Shanghai, Cina
Liu Bolin, Hotsun Art Space,798 Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
Liu Bolin. Live Exhibition, Adler Gallery, Parigi, Francia
Liu Bolin, Mediterranea Gallery, Palermo, Italia
Liu Bolin, Ifa Gallery, Shanghai, Cina
Liu Bolin, Eli Klein Gallery, New York, USA

2007

Liu Bolin, Bertin--Toublanc Gallery, Miami, USA
Liu Bolin. Sculpture′s Exhibition, Hotsun Art Space, 798 Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
Distortion, Hotsun Art Space, 798 Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
Liu Bolin. Photo Solo Exhibition, Bertin-Toublanc Gallery Parigi, Francia

2001

Haiyang Sculpture Works Exhibition, Beijing Passage, Pechino, Cina

1998

Haiyang Works Exhibition, Shandong province, Cina

Mostre collettive

2023

Palais Augmenté 3, Grand Palais, Parigi, Francia

2022

Letters From Overseas, Coral Gables Museum, Florida, USA
Sensorama, MAN_Museo d'Arte Provincia di Nuoro, Nuoro, Italia

2021 

The Photography is not What’s Important, JIMEI x ARLES International Photo Festival, Three Shadows Xiamen Photography Art Centre, Xiamen, Cina
Super Fusion - Chengdu Biennale, Chengdu Tianfu Art Park (Chengdu MOCA, Tianfu Art Museum), Chengdu, Cina
The Photography is not What’s Important, CAFA Art Museum, Pechino, Cina
Le supermarché des images, Red Brick Art Museum, Pechino, Cina

2020 

Alien Nations 2020, Coral Gables Museum, Florida, USA
Open Air Exhibition, Fotografiska Museum, Stoccolma, Svezia
When Speed Become Form—Live in Your Screen, Wind H Art Center, Pechino, Cina

2019

The Gaze of History – Contemporary Chinese Art Revisited, Jupiter Museum of Art, Shenzhen, Cina       
I eat, therefore I am, Musée de L’Homme, Parigi, Francia
Humans, Bernard Magrez Cultural Institute, Bordeaux, Francia
Art Eats Art, Musée Regards de Provence, Marsiglia, Francia
Colors of Contemporary China. A passion of collectors, Saint-Remi Museum, Reims, Francia
The World to Come: Art in the Age of the Anthropocene, Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Florida; University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Depaul Art Museum, Chicago, USA
Chinese Whispers: Recent Art from the Sigg Collection, The MAK, Vienna, Austria
Surrealness (Performance), Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C., USA
The Bigger Picture, Kunstlinie Almere Flevoland, Almere, Olanda
The Gaze of History – Contemporary Chinese Art Revisited, The Jupitar Museum of Art, Shenzhen, Cina

2018         

Every Body Talks, Mattatoio Roma, Roma, Italia
40 Years of Chinese Contemporary Photography, OCAT Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Cina
The World to Come, Gladys Gracy Harn Exhibition Hall, Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida, Florida, USA
Hybridizations: The ghost of painting, Whitebox Art Center, Pechino, Cina
Evidence: A New State of Art, Castel Sant’Elmo, Napoli, Italia
Liu Bolin: Liu Bolin X Ruinart, KYOTOGRAPHIE 2018, Kyoto, Giappone
C'était Demain! La Fabrik, Espace d'art contemporain, Monthey, Svizzera

2017

Biennale Arcipelago Mediterraneo, Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa - Padiglione Palermo Dusseldorf, Palermo, Italia
Alchemy – the First Shandong Youth Contemporary Art Documents Exhibition, Jia Jian Art Museum, Jinan, Cina
Portrait(s), 2017 Festival 5th Edition, Open Air Exhibition, Esplanade du lac d’Allier, Vichy, Francia
40 Years of Chinese Contemporary Photography (1976 - 2017), Three Shadows Photography Art Center, Pechino, Cina
Forty Years of Sculpture, Museum of Contemporary Art & Planning Exhibition, Shenzhen, Cina
Long Island Collects: New Photography, Nassau County Museum of Art, New York, USA

2016

Sublimina, Museo Delle Mura, Roma, Italia
Alchemy – the First Chinese Abstract Art Exhibition, Ningbo Culture Center 117 Art Center, Ningbo, Cina
Chinascape: from rural to urban, Mostra di Fotografia Contemporanea Cinese, Spazioborgogno, Milan; Italia
Seeing now, 21C Museum Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
21C at 10: a Global Gathering, 21C Museum, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Art from the streets, CAFA Art Museum, Pechino, Cina
Invisible Threads: Technology and its Discontents, New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD Art Gallery), Abu Dhabi, UAE
Up in Arms: Taking Stocks of Guns, Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, Brattleboro, Vermont, USA

2015

BP 15, First Argentine Performance Biennale, Buenos Aires, Argentina 
Photo – graffs: Images of Hip- Hop Graffiti and Urban Culture, Gold Coast Arts Center in Great Neck, New York, USA 
The Camera’s Eye, Photojax 2014, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
East Wing Biennal. INTERACT, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Londra, UK
IN SITU, Fabien Castanier Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA

2014

The Camera’s Eye, PHOTOJAX 2014, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
East Wing Biennial: INTERACT, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Londra, UK
Pho-to-graffs: Images of Hip Hop, Grafitti, and Urban Culture, Gold Coast Arts Center, Great Neck, NY, USA
East by South East, OBS Gallery, Tonbridge School, Kent, UK

2013

TED 2013, The Long Beach Performing Arts Center, Long Beach, California, USA
Portrait(s), Culture Centre Valery Larbaud, Vichy, Francia
Inner Journeys, Maison Paticulière Art Center, Bruxelles, Belgium
Religion, Ritual, and Performance in Modern and Contemporary Art, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, USA
Skin Trade, PPOW, New York, USA
10 Years of Wooster Collective: 2003 – 2013, Wooster Collective, New York, USA
War Zone Home, John Jay College of Criminal Justice Art Gallery, New York, USA
Incarnations, Institut Confucius des Pays de la Loire d’Angers, Angers, Francia
Aura and Post Aura, The First Beijing Photography Biennale, China Millennium Monument, Pechino, Cina

2012

La Magnifica Ossessione, MART, Rovereto, Italia
Changement de Décor, Festival des Arts Visuels de Vevey, Vevey, Svizzera
Bienne Festival of Photography, Bienne, Svizzera
Harper’s Bazaar: Inside the Magazine, Yermilov Center, Kharkiv, Ukraine; Korobchinskiy Center, Odessa, Ukraine; Izolyatsia, Donetsk, Ukraine; Museum of Modern Art, Kiev, Ucraina
D.E.F.E.N.C.E. – A Consideration of Various Strategies in Biology, Politics, Economy, Technology, Military, Psychology, Society, and Culture, Vögele Kultur Zentrum, Pfäffikon, Svizzera
Performing for the Camera, Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona, Usa

2011

Exhibition of the Neuflize Collection MAC de Marseille, Musée d’Art Contemporain de Marseille, Marseille, France
Réinvestir la Planète, Villa de Levallois, Levallois, Francia
Urban Play, Landgent Center, Pechino, Cina
Scenes from Within: Contemporary Art from China, Blackbridge Hall Gallery, Georgia College, Milledgeville, Georgia, USA; Fotográfica Biennale, Museo de Fotografía, Bogotá, Columbia
Black and White, Zero Art Museum, Pechino, Cina

2010

The Right to Protest, Museum on the Seam, Gerusalemme, Israele
Reflection of Minds, Shanghai MoCA, Shanghai, Cina
Passing China, Sanatorium, Istanbul, Turchia
HomeLessHome, Museum on the Seam, Gerusalemme, Israele
Armed & Dangerous: Art of the Arsenal, Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA

2009

Animamix Biennal, Shangai MoCA, Shangai, Cina; Today Art Museum, Pechino, Cina; Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, Cina
Shore – Contemporary Academy Sculpture Exhibition, Moon River Art Museum, Guangzhou, Cina
Blank – Making China, Zhongjian Art Museum, Pechino, Cina
International Contemporary Art Invitational Exhibition, Seoul Art Museum, Seoul, Korea
Erotic - Contemporary Art Invitational Exhibition, Dadi Rui City Exhibition Center, Jinan, Cina
The Big World: Recent Art from China, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, Usa
Passing by China, Eli Klein Fine Art, New York, USA
Camouflage, La Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spagna

2008

International Art Exhibition, Sunshine Museum, Songzhuang Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
Being, Contemporary Art Exhibition, Jinan, Shandong province, Cina; Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Liverpool, UK
Force-Form International Contemporary Art, 798 Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
The Converted-Image, Dax Art Space, Pechino, Cina

2007

Modern China: Lost in Transition, Eli Klein Gallery, New York, USA
Computer Men Art Exhibition, Seasons Gallery, Pechino, Cina
Far Away From City, Photography Group Exhibition, Ifa Contemporary Art Center, Shanghai,Cina; Song Zhuang Art Festival-2007 Chinese Visual Files, Songzhuang Art Zone,Cina
Union - Exhibition of Chinese and Chilean Artists, No.1 Art Base, Pechino, Cina 
Made in Beijing--Chinese Contemporary Art, Seoul, Corea del Sud
Olympic Sculptures International Exhibition, Millennium Monument, Pechino, Cina
Memory Contemporary Art Exhibition, New York Art Center, 798 Art Zone, Pechino, Cina 
Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, New Gallery, Houston, USA
Les Rencontres d’Arles, Arles, Francia
United Exhibition of Communities at the foot of the Great Wall, Red Gate Gallery, Pechino, Cina
Made in China--Chinese Contemporary Art, Shangai Duolun, Museum of Modem Art, Shanghai, Cina
Union, Exhibition of Chinese and Overseas Artists No.1 Art Base, Pechino, Cina
Union in June, Chinese Performance Art Exhibition Songzhuang Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
China Dream, Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition Adler Gallery, Parigi, Francia
Back, United Exhibition of Three Artist Hotsun Art Space, Pechino, Cina
After…, Contemporary Art Exhibition, New Art Project, 798 Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
China Modern Art Exhibition Mediterranea Garlley, Palemo, Italia
Resetting, Suojia Village Contemporary Art Exhibition, Suojia Village, Pechino, Cina
Review Exhibition of Chinese Performance Art Photos, Ying Gallery, 798 Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
Off Center Generation—Post-1970s Group Exhibition, 751 Space, 798 Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
Breathing, The First Shan Dong Contemporary Art Great Exhibition, Jinan, Cina

2006

China Contemporary Art Exhibition, Bertin-Toublanc Gallery, Parigi, Francia
Impact Power The Second Contemporary Art Exhibition, Sunshine International Art Museum, Songzhuang Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
Visit by yourself Exhibition Songzhuang Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
Visit by yourself, Beijing View Exhibition, Ner Art Project Dashanzi Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
Visit by yourself, Satellite Exhibition Shanghai, Cina
Visit by yourself, Qingzhou International Contemporary Art Exhibition, Qingzhou Museum , Shandong, Cina
Visit by yourself, Asia Contemporary Art Exhibition, Corea
Redstar, Redstar, Redstar, Contemporary Art Exhibition Red Star Gallery Dashanzi Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
Reference inside and outside, Exhibition Nanjing, Cina
Demolish－CHINA, Beijing Contemporary Art Exhibition 751 Factory, Dashanzi Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
The New Beijing; The New Starting Point, Sculpture Exhibition for 2008 Olympic, Jintai Gallery, Pechino, Cina
Beijing Calligraphy Exhibition, Maside Art Centre, Dashanzi Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
Opening of Beijing Distillery Art studio, Beijing Wine Factory Art Zone, Cina 
Grey and red, Contemporary Art Exhibition, Dashanzi Art Zone, Pechino, Cina

2005

Contemporary Art Exhibition of Dismantle, Xiyuantianlu Business Hall, Pechino, Cina
Beijing Calligraphy Exhibition, Maside Art Centre, Dashanzi Art Zone, Pechino, Cina
Luxury times -- Tianjin Harbour Plaza Cheung Chau, Chinese Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition, Tianjin, Cina
Dismantle -dismantle–dismantle, Contemporary Art Exhibition of Beijing Suojia Village International Arts Camp, Pechino, Cina

2001

Life is Beautiful, 2001 West Lake International, Sculpture Exhibition Hangzhou Art Museum, Cina
The Second Invited Sculpture Works Exhibition of Contemporary Young Sculptor, Hangzhou Art Museum, Cina
The First Sculpture Competition Exhibition, Fujian, Cina

1999

The Second Metals Work Exhibition of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Pechino, Cina

Premi

Premio BNL in occasione di Mia Photo Fair 2019 con Mosè, San Pietro in Vincoli, Roma
Artista dell’anno per Ruinart, 2018
Premio Consultinvest in occasione di ArteFiera 2018 con Sala del Trono, Reggia di Caserta
Premio Aletti, primo classificato per la Fotografia con Teatro alla Scala n°1

Collezioni

MART, Museo d’arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto
Banca Aletti
Unicredit Group