The invisible man
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0:02 - 0:06Liu Bolin: By making myself invisible,
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0:06 - 0:09I try to question the inter-canceling relationship
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0:09 - 0:13between our civilization and its development.
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0:13 - 0:15Interpreter: By making myself invisible, I try to explore and question
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0:15 - 0:19the contradictory and often inter-canceling relationship
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0:19 - 0:25between our civilization and its development.
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0:25 - 0:30LB: This is my first work, created in November 2005.
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0:30 - 0:33And this is Beijing International Art Camp where I worked
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0:33 - 0:36before the government forcibly demolished it.I used this work to express my objection.
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0:36 - 0:39I also want to use this work to let more people
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0:42 - 0:44pay attention to the living condition of artists and the condition of their creative freedom.
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0:44 - 0:47In the meantime, from the beginning, this series has a
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0:47 - 0:51protesting, reflective
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0:51 - 0:53and uncompromising spirit.
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0:53 - 0:58When applying makeup, I borrow a sniper's method
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0:58 - 1:00to better protect myself
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1:00 - 1:04and to detect the enemy, as he did. (Laughter)
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1:04 - 1:09After finishing this series of protests,
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1:09 - 1:13I started questioning why my fate was like this,
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1:13 - 1:15and I realized that it's not just me --
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1:15 - 1:19all Chinese are as confused as I am.
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1:19 - 1:22As you can see, these works
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1:22 - 1:28are about family planning, election in accordance with the law
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1:28 - 1:33and propaganda of the institution of the People's Congress.
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1:33 - 1:35This work is called Xia Gang ("leaving post").
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1:35 - 1:38"Xia Gang" is a Chinese euphemism for "laid off".
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1:38 - 1:46It refers to those people who lost their jobs during China's transition from a planned economy to a market economy.
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1:46 - 1:48From 1998 to 2000,
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1:48 - 1:5121.37 million people
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1:51 - 1:54lost their jobs in China.
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1:54 - 1:57The six people in the photo
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1:57 - 1:59are Xia Gang workers.
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1:59 - 2:03I made them invisible in the deserted shop wherethey had lived and worked all their lives.
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2:03 - 2:06On the wall behind them is the slogan of the Cultural Revolution:
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2:06 - 2:10"The core force leading our cause forward is the Chinese Communist Party."
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2:10 - 2:11For half a month
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2:11 - 2:14I looked for these 6 people to participate in my work.
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2:14 - 2:19We can only see six men in this picture,but in fact, those who are hidden here
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2:19 - 2:24are all people who were laid off. They have just been made invisible.
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2:24 - 2:26This piece is called The Studio.
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2:26 - 2:27This spring,
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2:27 - 2:30I happened to have an opportunity during my solo exhibition in Paris
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2:30 - 2:35to shoot a work in the news studio of France 3 --
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2:35 - 2:38I picked the news photos of the day.
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2:38 - 2:40One is about the war in the Middle East,
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2:40 - 2:44and another one is about a public demonstration in France.
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2:44 - 2:49I found that any culture has its irreconcilable contradictions.
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2:49 - 2:52This is a joint effort between me and French artist JR.
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2:52 - 2:57Interpreter: This is a joint effort between me and French artist JR.
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2:57 - 3:01(Applause)
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3:01 - 3:04LB: I tried to disappear into JR's eye,
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3:04 - 3:08but the problem is JR only uses models with big eyes.
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3:08 - 3:12So I tried to make my eyes bigger with my fingers.
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3:12 - 3:13But still they are not big enough for JR, unfortunately.
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3:13 - 3:17Interpreter: So I tried to disappear into JR's eye,
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3:17 - 3:20but the problem is JR uses only models with big eyes.
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3:20 - 3:23So I tried to make my eyes bigger with this gesture.
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3:23 - 3:28But it doesn't work, my eyes are still small.
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3:28 - 3:31LB: This one is about 9/11 memories.
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3:35 - 3:41This is an aircraft carrier moored alongside the Hudson River.
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3:41 - 3:45Kenny Scharf's graffiti.
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3:45 - 3:49(Laughter)
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3:49 - 3:53This is Venice, Italy.
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3:53 - 3:55Because global temperatures rise,
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3:55 - 4:04the sea level rises, and it is said thatVenice will disappear in the coming decades.
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4:04 - 4:07This is the ancient city of Pompeii.
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4:07 - 4:18Interpreter: This is the ancient city of Pompeii.
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4:18 - 4:19LB: This is the Borghese Gallery
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4:19 - 4:23in Rome.
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4:23 - 4:27When I work on a new piece, I pay more attention to the expression of ideas.
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4:27 - 4:30For instance, why would I make myself invisible?
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4:30 - 4:37What will making myself invisible here cause people to think?
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4:52 - 4:54This one is called Instant Noodles.
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4:54 - 4:58Interpreter: This one is called Instant Noodles. (Laughter)
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4:58 - 5:03LB: Since August 2012,
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5:03 - 5:07harmful phosphors have been found
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5:07 - 5:10in the instant noodle package cups from every famous brand sold in China's supermarkets.
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5:10 - 5:12These phosphors can even cause cancer.
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5:12 - 5:14To create this artwork,
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5:14 - 5:16I bought a lot of packaged instant noodle cups
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5:16 - 5:19and put them in my studio, making it look like a supermarket.
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5:19 - 5:22And my task is to stand there, trying to be still,
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5:22 - 5:26setting up the camera position and coordinating with my assistant
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5:26 - 5:30and drawing the colors and shapes that are behind my body
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5:30 - 5:34on the front of my body. If the background is simple,
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5:34 - 5:36I usually have to stand for three to four hours.
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5:36 - 5:39The background of this piece is more complex,
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5:39 - 5:43so I need three to four days in advance for preparation.
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5:43 - 5:47This is the suit I wore when I did the supermarket shoot.
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5:47 - 5:49There is no Photoshop involved.
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5:49 - 5:54Interpreter: This is the suit I [was] wearing when I did the supermarket shoot.
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5:54 - 6:00There is no Photoshop involved. (Laughter)
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6:00 - 6:13LB: These works are on China's cultural memories.
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6:13 - 6:14And this one,
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6:14 - 6:17this is about food safety in China.
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6:17 - 6:23Unsafe food can harm people's health,
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6:23 - 6:27and a deluge of magazines can confuse people's minds. (Laughter)
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6:27 - 6:30The next pieces of work show how I made myself invisible in magazines of different languages,
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6:30 - 6:34in different countries and at different times.
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6:34 - 6:39I think that in art, an artist's attitude is the most important element.
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6:39 - 6:43If an artwork is to touch someone,
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6:43 - 6:47it must be the result of not only technique, but also the artist's thinking and struggle in life.
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6:47 - 6:51And the repeated struggles in life create artwork,
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6:51 - 6:57no matter in what form.
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6:57 - 7:19(Music)
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7:19 - 7:20That's all I want to say.
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7:20 - 7:24Thank you. (Applause)
- Title:
- The invisible man
- Speaker:
- Liu Bolin
- Description:
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Can a person disappear in plain sight? That’s the question Liu Bolin‘s remarkable work seems to ask. The Beijing-based artist is sometimes called “The Invisible Man” because in nearly all his art, Bolin is front and center — and completely unseen. He aims to draw attention to social and political issues by dissolving into the background.
- Video Language:
- Chinese, Simplified
- Team:
closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 07:46
![]() |
Jenny Zurawell edited English subtitles for Liu Bolin: The Invisible Man | |
![]() |
Jenny Zurawell approved English subtitles for Liu Bolin: The Invisible Man | |
![]() |
Chae Won Park accepted English subtitles for Liu Bolin: The Invisible Man | |
![]() |
Chae Won Park edited English subtitles for Liu Bolin: The Invisible Man | |
![]() |
Chae Won Park edited English subtitles for Liu Bolin: The Invisible Man | |
![]() |
Chae Won Park edited English subtitles for Liu Bolin: The Invisible Man | |
![]() |
Chae Won Park edited English subtitles for Liu Bolin: The Invisible Man | |
![]() |
Julia Xu edited English subtitles for Liu Bolin: The Invisible Man |