Liu Bolin's 'Migrants' at BAM in Palermo: Camouflage as Political Protest

The Chinese artist Liu Bolin presents 'Migrants' at the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa in Palermo, as part of BAM – Biennale Arcipelago Mediterraneo, a festival promoted by the City's Culture Department. The project, produced by Boxart gallery of Verona, includes photographs, a documentary video, and props from three public actions held in Catania in 2015 with dozens of migrants from the C.A.R.A. di Mineo, Europe's largest reception center. Bolin, born in 1973 in Shandong, uses body painting, performance, and photography without digital manipulation to camouflage himself and others into various backgrounds. His series 'Hiding in the City' originated from the 2005 demolition of Suojia Village International Arts Camp by the Chinese government ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, destroying hundreds of artists' studios. The 'Target' series began in 2013 in Shandong, addressing 'Cancer Villages' near chemical plants, then expanded to Bogotá in response to terrorist attacks, and later to Catania with African refugees. In Palermo, works like 'Memory Day' and 'Blue Europe' depict migrants on the beach or camouflaged against the EU flag, evoking a secular Pietà. Bolin painted the word 'FUTURE' on migrants' bodies as a symbol of hope. He states, 'The environment determines contemporary art and vice versa: artists have the responsibility to transform society.'