Known as “The Invisible Man”, 51-year-old Liu has gained international recognition for his photographic self-portraits, where he is painted from head to toe to hide in plain sight against an eclectic array of backdrops.

From the Great Wall of China to the Colosseum in Rome, Liu has made himself a canvas in more than 20 countries around the world over the last two decades.

Liu Bolin at the Great Wall of China in Beijing in 2010. PHOTO: COURTESY OF LIU BOLIN STUDIO
Liu Bolin at the Colosseum in Rome in 2017. PHOTO: COURTESY OF LIU BOLIN STUDIO

By blending into the background through his art, he aims to show how people can become overlooked or marginalised in society.

“As an artist, it’s essential to find a way to communicate with the world. Being invisible is like a language I’ve created to interact and express my view of the world,” he said.

Liu Bolin touring his fellow artists’ work at Deck Open Ground at 120A Prinsep Street. Singaporean artist Robert Zhao’s installation, A Crow Remembers, is seen in the background.

When he was growing up, his parents wanted him to become a civil servant, but he persevered in his passion for art.

In 2005, Liu began his Hiding In The City series as an expression of how he felt when the Chinese authorities in 2005 demolished his studio, which was part of an artists’ village called Suo Jia Cun, to make way for construction projects for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Now a lecturer at his alma mater, Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts, he advises young artists: “Be imaginative, be sensitive to societal issues, and uncover things people may overlook because that’s where true gold may lie. And continually strive to pursue your dreams.”

Liu looking at the installation How Long Do I Have To Squat Here by Singapore artist Arrvinraj at Deck Open Ground.

This is Liu’s first time in Singapore, where his work is displayed at the Seeing The Invisible exhibition as part of the 9th Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF), which runs from Oct 18 to Nov 24.

Liu taking a picture of Lasalle College of the Arts, one of the venues for the 9th Singapore International Photography Festival.
Liu having his photo taken with a media tour participant at the underpass at Guoco Midtown, where his work is exhibited.

Among his works on display at Guoco Midtown is Hawker Centre In Chinatown, which he created earlier in October as a tribute to Singapore’s forefathers and their legacy. The photograph shows a busy scene at Chinatown Complex Market and Food Centre.

Liu with his first self-portrait created in Singapore, titled Hawker Centre In Chinatown, which shows a busy scene at Chinatown Complex Market and Food Centre.

“I couldn’t find myself at first glance,” he said with a smile, recalling the first time he saw the work on display.

For his second work created in Singapore, Liu chose the Merlion as a backdrop because of its “symbolic presence”.

The Merlion, which is Singapore’s national symbol, was chosen as it epitomises the strength, courage and resilience of the island’s pioneers and represents the nation’s origins, while its backdrop of the Central Business District skyline highlights Singapore’s rapid transformation into a vibrant and prosperous city.

Liu said he wanted to capture Singapore’s bustling economic success through the mythical Merlion and the Singapore skyline for his second Singapore artwork, called The Merlion.

When Liu arrived in Singapore on Oct 11, he visited Merlion Park, and he said he fell in love with it instantly.

He made two more trips to the tourist attraction to confirm his camera angle before he set up his second Singapore piece, The Merlion, on Oct 17.

Hours of preparatory work went into creating Liu’s “invisibility cloak” for The Merlion photo shoot. Liu and his trio of assistants started work at around 9.30am in a quiet rehearsal studio in Waterloo Street.

Liu’s assistant Chen Yikun looking at a photograph showing the location where the artist would become invisible.
Grid-like markings being made on the military-style outfit, based on reference photos of Merlion Park.
Liu adding some markings to a pair of shoes to help his team paint according to the correct alignment.

Besides his assistant Chen Yikun, two Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts graduates – Koh Kai Ting, 28, and Diamond Misson, 20 – were hired to help with the Singapore artwork.

The details painted included caricatures of actual people at Merlion Park, captured in photographs taken earlier.
Mr Chen using a hairdryer to dry the paint so that Liu would be able to put the outfit on.
Liu keeping track of time as the team works on painting the outfit and shoes he would later put on.

With photo references in hand, Liu’s three assistants painted his outfit under his direction. He would be rendered nearly invisible by their brushwork, blending right into the background.

Their biggest challenge was to create the illusion of straight lines on the outfit. “Remember, if you want to draw a straight line, you have to draw a curved line,” said Koh, an artist.

The team spent more than five hours painting on the outfit.

Masking tape being used to indicate the placement of the railings at Merlion Park.
The outfit is folded and packed into a suitcase.
The crew then packs up and heads for Merlion Park.

Merlion Park was, as expected, brimming with tourists when Liu and his team arrived there shortly after 4pm on Oct 17. A group of tourists even asked Liu to help them take a photo.

Liu putting on the painted outfit to mark the start of the creation of the work of art at Merlion Park.
Liu holding up a white-balance colour card to enable the camera to capture accurate colours of the scene.
Tourists taking pictures of themselves against the Merlion while Liu stands still.

Curious onlookers gathered to watch as Liu positioned himself on the promenade and his crew got to work under cloudy skies.

Curious onlookers gathering to watch Liu’s “disappearing” act on the day of the Chinese artist’s photo shoot on Oct 17.

“He put a lot of trust in us. He explained what to do and left it to our own hands after that,” said Misson.

Nafa graduates (foreground, from left) Diamond Misson and Koh Kai Ting and art assistant Chen Yikun checking a test shot to make sure Liu is accurately aligned with the background.

Exposed skin was painted, and part of a sign on a building in the background was detailed across his face.

Liu applying skin cream and pieces of plain paper to his face. This helps protect him against skin problems from exposure to acrylic paint.
Liu standing still as Misson paints his face. Occasionally, he closes his eyes and meditates. All exposed skin is painted over.

Liu said that he did not mind standing still for extended periods of time, as one of his childhood ambitions was to be a soldier.

He occasionally closed his eyes to meditate. “When I closed my eyes, it felt like entering another realm, then coming back to reality when I opened them,” he said.

Liu says that being invisible is a form of language that he uses to communicate his view of the world.

He added: “It was quite hot, but we were lucky because it rained today... The weather was just right, it wasn’t hot enough to be unbearable.”

Misson painting Liu’s shoes.
Koh painting Liu’s hands to match the colours of the waters at Marina Bay.

Even though intermittent rain threatened to postpone the photo shoot, “everything went according to plan” in the end, he said.

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“The hardest part was managing the crowd because that’s something you can’t control,” he said with a laugh.

“People ask me if it’s exhausting, but I tell them I’m very happy because I get to do my art, make friends and explore the world.”

Liu using a compact fan to cool himself down after completing the photography session at Merlion Park.

Art collector Chang Siok Eng, who watched both works of art unfold, said: “I’m intrigued by the idea of losing oneself, yet being so visible. I also like how it’s conceptual but still accessible to the public, who may not see art regularly.”

Liu’s Hiding In Singapore series is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board.

SIPF director and co-founder of photography space Deck, Ms Gwen Lee, said she first reached out to Liu in 2020 to invite him to showcase his works at the festival, but their plans were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Liu’s work plays on the idea of ‘visible and invisible’. Something about him as an individual standing out in the landscape and standing for oneself in a message connected with me, and that is why I contacted him. In Singapore, we tend to be uptight about trying to follow certain types of expectations. I wish for us to not live in a city where we take a lot of pride in putting up a facade, yet lose ourselves along the way.”

She reached out to him again in 2024, and he agreed to premiere his works in South-east Asia.

Liu chose this spot for his second Singapore artwork because of the Merlion’s “strong symbolic presence”.

The biennial SIPF runs in various locations in 2024, with exhibitions, talks, workshops and tours centred on the theme of exploring the idea of memories. It is organised by Deck, an independent arts space for photography.

Liu’s work will be displayed at the Guoco Midtown underpass until Jan 26, 2025.

He will return to Singapore in January 2025 during Singapore Art Week to hide again, so catch him if you can.

The Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) is a biennial event organised by Deck Photography Art Centre, a registered charity. Deck is raising funds for a permanent arts centre dedicated to photography and to help further SIPF’s mission of championing photography arts. Visit https://deck.give.asia/sipf2024 to find out more.