Hiding in the city n°65

A cityscape at first glance, we're immediately drawn to its two bright-red telephone booths in this black-and-white setting. However, close inspection of the image reveals a human figure covered in paint, blending in with these red London phone booths. It is, in fact, the artist, continuing a process begun in 2005 in his studio. This photograph is the trace of a performance lasting several hours, during which the artist remains frozen, eyes closed and camouflaged in his landscape. Paradoxically, the artist draws attention to himself by his willingness to be absent. In so doing, Liu Bolin comments on the Chinese government's urbanization drive, considering that the excessive development of cities encloses and invisibilizes the well-being of the human being as an individual. He then expands on this theme with performances around the world, revealing the limits and dangers of urbanization on a global scale.