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How long did it take you to spot him? -

Bolin began his skill of hiding after the site of one of the largest congregations of artists in Asia had been demolished. 

(Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 2.0)

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A closer look -

Using his own body allowed him to create a symbolic space for the artist, while also highlighting the artist's struggle with their surroundings.

(Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 2.0)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

When he cannot block, he blends -

Unable to personally change the Chinese government's decisions, Bolin creates beautiful and challenging images in a peaceful, but potent, protest. 

(Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 2.0)

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An artist is likely not on your grocery list - Bolin turns his body into a display of vegetables at a supermarket in Beijing.

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A strange and amazing feat - The artist takes a look at the image to see if he's sufficiently invisible.

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The minutiae of his work seems funny - Having your face painted hardly feels like a serious artistic statement, but when you look at the bigger picture...

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It becomes magnificent - Here Bolin makes himself blend into the wall of an old temple in a Hutong in central Beijing.

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This niche market pays well -

Bolin's photos sell for upwards of US$30,000. 

(Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 2.0)

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'Red Theatre' - Bolin and 22 participants disappear into the red seats of a Beijing theater. This was his third time making a group vanish.

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Patient participants - Bolin and the models spent hours motionless as his team of painters mimicked the colors and lines of the seats on their clothes, faces, and hair.

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Using the human body as a canvas - The invisibility here is supposed to represent the plight of ordinary people in modern society.

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Can you believe your eyes? - Bolin chooses the chaotic background of comic book-lined shelves to dissolve into. 

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It's all about the angle - Visibility is in the angle of the beholder. 

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Touch-ups - His process takes a great amount of time and passion, as well as a devoted team of assistants. 

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He's got his aim set on social politics - Targets are a recurring theme in Bolin's work, particularly in his performance at the Paris-Beijing gallery which was dedicated to Charlie Hebdo.

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Find the man among the waste - The chameleon artist performed at the Surfrider Foundation in Biarritz, France, with a scenery made from waste picked up on the Basque coast.

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A work in progress - Bolin's goal was to condemn the pollution of the oceans, slowly disappearing into the waste as perhaps all humans might if we don't take action. 

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Aesthetic marvel - In a purely visual display, waste aside, Bolin has managed to create something beautiful and intriguing.

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Models preparing to be painted - His piece titled 'Dongji,' or 'Winter Solstice,' came days after Beijing issued its second ever red alert for air pollution in 2015.

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Transformed - The models grow camouflaged among the smog. 

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A disturbing image for a disturbing reality - Bolin uses bodies, paint, and setting to express his concerns about China and its people.

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Drawing attention to setting - Air pollution has been a huge problem in China, and though it seems to be improving, there are significant and irreversible effects taking their toll on both human health and environment.

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He's approached the problem of pollution many times - In this performance art piece, Bolin wears a mask and a vest with 24 mobile phones strapped to him as he walks through Beijing's smog, just four days after another red alert was issued for air pollution in 2016.

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Live broadcasting his message - All of the 24 phones were live broadcasting air pollution in the city, demanding a great amount of attention for someone who is known as invisible.

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Vanishing for Global Goals - Bolin created art for the Global Goals campaign in Beijing, in which he hid himself within 193 flags of the world.

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It's all in the details - The piece was created to convey a number of the campaign's goals, including ending poverty and encouraging sustainable use of resources.

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Method behind the madness - Each section is meticulously planned out beforehand. Disappearing is no easy feat.

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The man behind the mask - After remaining still and stiff for so long, Bolin enjoys peeling the thick layers of paint off in one fell swoop.

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Immersing himself in boundaries -

Not many would have envisioned this for their future, but art and politics have a keen ability to surprise. 

(Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 2.0)

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He's since moved into fashion -

The Liu Bolin Debut collection walked the runways of New York Fashion Week in 2017, militarizing the political impact of art in a fresh way, while maintaining the theme of vanishing. 

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