The invisible man

Liu Bolin: By making myself invisible,

I try to question the inter-canceling relationship

between our civilization and its development.

Interpreter: By making myself invisible, I try to explore and question

the contradictory and often inter-canceling relationship

between our civilization and its development.

LB: This is my first work, created in November 2005.

And this is Beijing International Art Camp where I worked

before the government forcibly demolished it.
I used this work to express my objection.

I also want to use this work to let more people

know about the living condition of artists
and the condition of their creative freedom.

In the meantime, this series begins with

protest, reflection

and uncompromising spirit.

When applying makeup, I borrow a sniper's method

to better protect myself

and to detect the enemy, as he did. (Laughter)

After finishing this series of protests,

I started questioning why my fate was like this,

and I realized that it's not just me --

all Chinese are as confused as I am.

As you can see, these works

are about family planning, election in accordance with the law

and propaganda of the institution of the People's Congress.

This work is called Xia Gang.

"Xia Gang" is a Chinese term, meaning "laid off".

It refers to China's transition from a planned economy to a market economy in which workers lost their jobs.

From 1998 to 2000,

21.37 million people

lost their jobs in China.

The six people in the photo

are unemployed workers.

I made them invisible in the deserted shop where
they had lived and worked all their lives.

On the wall behind them is the slogan of the Cultural Revolution:

"The leading force at the core of our cause is the Chinese Communist Party."

For half a month

I looked for these 6 people to participate in my work.

We can only see six men in this picture,
but in fact, those who are hidden here

are all people who were laid off.
They have just been made invisible.

This piece is called The Studio.

This spring,

I happened to have the opportunity to
have a solo exhibition in Paris.

I shot my work in the TV studio of France 3 News --

I picked the photos of the day.

One is about the war in the Middle East,

and another one is about a public demonstration in France.

I found that any culture has its irreconcilable contradictions.

This is a joint effort between me and French artist JR.

Interpreter: This is a joint effort between me and French artist JR.

(Applause)

LB: I tried to disappear into JR's eye,

but the problem is JR only uses models with big eyes.

So I tried to make my eyes bigger with my fingers.

But still they are not big enough for JR, unfortunately.

Interpreter: So I tried to disappear into JR's eye,

but the problem is JR uses only models with big eyes.

So I tried to make my eyes bigger with my fingers.

But still they are not big enough for JR, unfortunately.

LB: This one is about 9/11 memories.

This is an aircraft carrier moored alongside the Hudson River.

Kenny Scharf's graffiti.

(Laughter)

This is Venice, Italy.

Because global temperatures rise,

the sea level rises, and it is said that
Venice will disappear in the coming decades.

This is the ancient city of Pompeii.

Interpreter: This is the ancient city of Pompeii.

LB: This is the Borghese Gallery

in Rome.

When I work on a new piece, I focus on the expression of ideas.

For instance, why would I make myself invisible?

And what kind of thinking will be raised if I make
myself invisible at a specific location?

This one is called Instant Noodles.

Interpreter: This one is called Instant Noodles. (Laughter)

LB: Since August 2012,

people have found harmful phosphors

in most packaged instant noodles in China. They are in famous brands.

These phosphors can even cause cancer.

To make this work,

I bought a lot of packaged instant noodles

and put them in my studio, making it look like a supermarket.

And my task is to stand there, trying to be still,

setting up the camera position and coordinating with my assistant.

I draw the colors and shapes that are behind my body

on the front of my body. If the background is simple,

I usually have to stand for three or four hours.

The background of this piece is more complex,

so I need three to four days in advance for preparation.

This is the suit I wore when I did the supermarket shoot.

There is no Photoshop involved.

Interpreter: This is the suit I [was] wearing
when I did the supermarket shoot.

There is no Photoshop involved. (Laughter)

LB: These works are on China's cultural memories.

And this one,

this is about food safety in China.

Unsafe food can harm people's health,

and flooding magazines can confuse people's minds. (Laughter)

The next works show how I made myself invisible in different countries

at different times, using magazines with different texts.

I think an artist's attitude is the most important element.

If an artwork is to touch someone,

it requires not only skill, but also the thinking and the struggle in life.

And the repeated struggles in life create artwork,

no matter in what form.

(Music)

That's all.

Thank you. (Applause)