Chinese 'invisible man' protest fails to stop studio being demolished The 36-year-old, now known as the "invisible man," painted himself into the background. After six hours of make-up, his body was invisible against the wall of one of the buildings in Suojiacun, the artist's commune slated for destruction. His message was simple: artists have no rights, they are "invisible" to the Chinese authorities. "I was expressing my protest silently, with my body as the canvas," he said. His photographs quickly buzzed around the internet. Lots of people suddenly got to know about my art and about the suffering of the artists in Suojiacun. Both my work, and the issue got a lot of attention," he said. In China the normal way that people protest an issue is to petition the government or to make a physical protest. That is what ordinary people do when they have no choice, when their rights are infringed by a conspiracy between officials and businessmen. But I, as an artist, can use art to express my protest: it is the most effective and direct way to communicate my message," he added. However, in the end the protest had little effect. Actually, the result did not change. Although there were people calling for the commune to be protect, it was still utterly demolished. Mr Liu's latest project has seen him blend into rows of soft drinks, as an expression of his dismay at the use of additives in processed foods.