Desert-themed videos, paintings and installations created by Ma Quan, professor of Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design’s Department of Visual Communication Design, are on display at the “Superposition State” exhibition at Guan Shanyue Art Museum. Entry is free.
"The Collection of Time-Space" by Ma Quan. Photos by Cao Zhen.
Committed to exploring the possibilities of space narrative and crossover design, Ma has traveled to deserts in northwestern China many times to explore the self-transcendent state of life individuals inhabiting natural spaces and the coexisting relationship between macroscopic fields and microscopic objects.
“Since the beginning of the last century, northwestern China has been the subject of continuous depiction and discussion among modern and contemporary Chinese artists,” said Marco Scotini, one of the curators of the exhibition. “The ‘Superposition State’ is a summary of Ma’s artistic achievements in the past 10 years. His focus on deserts has led him to surpass the boundaries of space and time, the coordinates of language, sound and image, and anthropological and sociological limits.”
Visitors watch Ma Quan’s video at Guan Shanyue Art Museum.
Ma’s videos and ink paintings of deserts, abstract wooden reliefs and installations of sands are accompanied by sentences expressing his feelings, such as “sand grits in the desert are all immigrants,” “the shape and material characters of a sand grit are represented by its complex and rich surface, which is a valuable trace of time and space,” and “exploring in a desert, one needs to first remove a few thoughts: conquer, overcome, challenge or show off.”
"Coding by Ceramic and Sand" by Ma Quan.
“Standing in front of Ma’s work, I feel a wave of ‘no beginning’ of self in the origin of life,” said Yan Weixin, chief planner of the exhibition. “His works magnify tiny sand grits, as if we go back to where life begins.”
Dates: Until Dec. 15
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mondays
Venue: Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Futian District (福田区关山月美术馆)
Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit F2
