00:00Now you see me, now you don't.
00:03Now I feel like I'm in the army.
00:05I feel like I have to be really serious and not move my face at all,
00:08otherwise my facial will be ruined.
00:11Over two days, 60 people disappeared at the National Gallery Singapore's City Hall steps
00:16in an artwork by renowned Chinese artist Liu Bolin.
00:20In October 2024, Liu produced two artworks in Singapore.
00:24His 2025 return was to create pieces inspired by Singapore's culture.
00:29Singapore has a unique cultural character.
00:31Different skin tones, ethnicities and languages can blend together harmoniously.
00:38This is a very deep feeling for me.
00:39Because in other countries, there are always reasons for skin tones
00:43or religions that create problems.
00:46So when I want to create a piece, I invite different ethnicities,
00:51including those who work here,
00:53different ethnicities and people from different countries to participate in the piece.
00:57Liu, also known as the Invisible Man, gained recognition in 2005
01:01for painting himself to blend into the rubble of his art studio
01:05in silent protest of its demolition.
01:07Since then, Liu has used the same camouflage technique at significant locations worldwide.
01:13When I first learned about Liu Bolin, I really liked the defiance part of his artwork.
01:18My philosophy really aligns with him.
01:20That's why I chose to volunteer myself to be part of the artwork as well.
01:24Organised by DEC, the project invited the public to be part of a montage for Singapore Art Week.
01:30The session begins with volunteers changing into a customised uniform.
01:35Each is assigned a number to designate their position in the artwork,
01:39and the painting starts.
01:41Black and white lines are drawn first to blend into the city hall steps.
01:46The last to be painted is exposed skin.
01:49For protection, a layer of Vaseline is applied before the acrylic paint goes on.
01:54Photographs of the volunteers are then taken in batches to make up the final composite.
01:59The painters have taken a lot of care to make sure we are comfortable,
02:04and actually it's very fun, so I'm cool.
02:07Each volunteer has to dedicate five to six hours to be a human canvas.
02:16Being hidden in a busy city like Singapore actually is quite a relief.
02:21Sometimes I do want to be by myself and to have some me time, so it's a good experience.
02:28In our daily lives, we walk past a lot of things and we don't necessarily notice them.
02:33So the chance to just stop and take a moment and reflect, it's a very meaningful message.
02:39Other than the painted volunteers, there are also more than 30 others working behind the scenes.
02:45I was lucky enough to be a student in Singapore 20 years ago,
02:50and I'm very happy to be back for a business reason for the Arts Fair.
02:55And yeah, it's a good time to celebrate,
02:59and I think New Berlin makes a project for the whole world to come to Singapore.
03:06After mobilising 100 volunteers and 55 litres of paint over three days,
03:11the Hiding in Singapore The Journey Between artworks are finally ready.
03:16The final artworks, along with other pieces,
03:19will be exhibited at the Fullerton Hotel East Garden Gallery.
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