A voyage of discovery: Liu Bolin’s work was displayed as Ruinart was sampled alongside a gastronomic feast
Ruinart
It is at the resort’s casual Beach Shack that the inaugural al-fresco meal unfolded. Locally caught octopus with a roasted cauliflower purée and passion fruit reduction was served alongside a delightful Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2010. The sea bass and Japanese sea urchin was accompanied by a Dom Ruinart Rosé 2009. It marked the start of three days of exceptional culinary pairings that put the champagne house‘s world-famous savoir-faire in the spotlight.
As for the man of the hour? Liu Bolin, an acclaimed Chinese performance artist and photographer the latest artist to be invited to take part in the Ruinart Carte Blanche residency, which ‘empowers contemporary artists to pay tribute to the maison’s legacy, while focusing on climate change through a creative lens’. Liu, who had previously collaborated with Ruinart in2018, was tasked with conceiving an artwork that would be created in situ during the stay at Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands.
Known as the ‘invisible man’, Liu uses a combination of painting, photography and performance art to camouflage himself within an image. On this occasion, it meant painting himself so he blended in with the wild, natural beauty of the landscape as the sky met the sea. As guests gathered for their sundowners at the EAU Bar, Liu stood at the edge of the infinity pool with his hands outstretched, a burning ring of fire behind him, as his team took photographs, reviewed them, repositioned, and took some more. ‘It is through the movement, transformation and fusion of these four elements that life, our Earth, and our humanity came into being,’ says Bolin of the piece that brings together land, sea, sky and fire. ‘I wanted to draw attention to the ecological protection of the Maldives.’