Born in 1956 in Tianjin, MA Shuqing’s paintings constructed an independent and two-dimensional visual space based on color and time. Since his overseas study in late 1980s in Germany, Ma Shuqing has long dedicated himself to exploring and researching on abstract painting. His paintings restore individuality and spirituality permeating in the process of painting, presenting solely minimalistic color as well as a space of visual sensibility. In terms of rendering the pictorial plane, Ma Shuqing disguises the repeatedly intricate procedure of smearing the paint and rich color representation in the basis layers, whereas on the top layer showcases monochrome and refreshingly condensed color. From the artist’s perspective, the technique has preserved painting as visual art which intuitively brings sensory influence to one’s eyes, while it also retains a sense of uncertainty in painting. Such uncertainty has been the main element concerning the artists’ constant reflection on exploring beyond paintings and painting techniques.

Free from the restraints of two-dimensional paintings, the artist intricately smears the transparent as well as the non-transparent color on the canvas, producing truly tangible space of color along the frame. Although the color is visible as it is, the space and time remain invisible, taking a closer look, hidden color blocks may occasionally pop into viewers’ sight. In a sense, this simply enriches layer of the painting and unmasks a trace of time and space meanwhile. In the Space series, by evenly spraying the mineral-colored powder onto the canvas, Ma Shuqing filled the artwork with colorful dust spreading all over the wall, floor and even up in the air. Floating in the field namely the working space, the incorporeal dust mirrors the color of memory, generating the final image at last.