Core Content Summary
Artist Ma Yujiang shares his philosophy of "turning life into a living art experience" through four artistic projects inspired by difficult circumstances in his life. Starting from the regret of his mother's death, he has continuously created the "Mother and Child" series (painting a portrait of his mother at the age she was when he was 27 each year, with the plan to continue until he is in his eighties or nineties). When he first arrived in Hong Kong without identification, he integrated himself into the city by using the text from letters as part of his artwork ("Letters from Hong Kong"). To cope with insomnia, he collected receipts from homeless people and ordinary citizens at McDonald's, using the weight difference between the receipts to illustrate social disparities ("Heavy Is the Night"). To experience the irreversibility of time, he only ate food that expired on the same day throughout the year ("Expired"). He proposes the concept of "living life" – not just going through the days passively, but shaping one's life with a sense of purpose, consciousness, and aesthetic standards, allowing art and life to coexist.
I. Difficulties Are Not Stumbling Blocks, but Seeds for Art
Each of Ma Yujiang's works emerges from challenging situations:
- "Mother and Child": Using painting to confront the loss of his mother. His mother passed away when he was 3, and he would draw her on the wall with charcoal, only to wash it away by the rain and draw her again. Later, finding their only合影, he began to paint a portrait of them together each year: at 21 when he graduated from university, at 27 when he helped his grandparents harvest corn (both at the same age as his mother), and at 30 by the Hudson River in New York... He says, "For every year I live longer, I add another piece to my collection; only when I die will the series be complete."
- "Letters from Hong Kong": Using printing to integrate into an unfamiliar city. With no identity or friends in Hong Kong, he would photograph street signs out of loneliness. He discovered that the character for "treasure" in the letters matched the character on the signs, and so he started printing all the text from the letters (once, he even climbed a ladder in the middle of the night to print the character for "under the bridge" from a sign about spicy crabs, only to be discovered by the staff and have to run away). Printing is not just taking a photo; it's about pressing his body against the wall, as if "touching the city," which alleviated his loneliness.
- "Expired": Experiencing time through eating only food that expires on the same day. At 30, realizing he was 30 for the first time, he decided to live "solely for the sake of beauty," eating only food that would expire that day. Over the year, he found 286 such items (such as Turkish tea and Egyptian juice). Although his health check-ups revealed anemia and heart issues, he says, "That day was the last day of that food's life, and it was also a unique day for me. This irreversibility is what makes it beautiful."
II. Art Doesn't Need to Be Sophisticated; Spontaneous Expression Is Essential
Ma Yujiang believes, "Art doesn't seek inspiration from art history; it comes from within – do what touches you."
- For example, in "Letters from Hong Kong," he chose printing over photography because photography involves looking from a distance, while printing allowed him to be physically connected to the city, reflecting his desire to integrate.
- In "Heavy Is the Night," collecting receipts was not about creating art for the sake of it. It started when, suffering from insomnia, he noticed that homeless people bought small, inexpensive drinks (0.3-0.5 grams lighter in weight) while ordinary people bought hamburgers and fries (0.5-0.7 grams heavier). This 0.2-gram difference symbolized two different worlds, and he collected 1,259 receipts.
- His works lack complex techniques but are powerful because they are rooted in genuine life experiences.
III. Respect Is More Important Than Sympathy; Art Is About Equal Observation
In "Heavy Is the Night," the curator asked, "Why don't you buy bread for the homeless?" Ma Yujiang's response was thought-provoking:
"I am one of them. If I give them bread, I become someone 'above them,' breaking the equality. They have their dignity, and all I can do is help – wipe tables, collect trash, and pick up receipts, thereby respecting their autonomy."
He also mentioned that a homeless young person wrote "Wish you prosperity, may you get more good fortune" (in Cantonese) on the back of a receipt, which made him feel that "the world is truly beautiful." Art doesn't directly change the world; it exposes these overlooked groups through its works, indirectly promoting change.
IV. "Living Life": Turning Everyday Moments into Art, Making Life a Living Art Experience
Ma Yujiang distinguishes between "going through life" and "living life":
- **"Going through life": Eating when hungry, sleeping when tired, reacting passively.
- **"Living life": Actively shaping life with aesthetic standards – for example, finding food that expires on the same day in "Expired," or painting a portrait of his mother each year in "Mother and Child." Both are conscious efforts to turn life into a living art experience.
He says, "Performance art makes the body the stage, but 'living life' makes life itself the stage – where life is, art is."
V. Art and Life Coexist: Works Grow as People Grow
The "Mother and Child" series illustrates this best: His mother is always portrayed as 27 years old, and Ma Yujiang has been painting her since he was 21, continuing until he is 38 (with plans to keep going until he is in his eighties or nineties). The image of him, with white hair, alongside his forever-young mother, represents a dialogue between life and art.
He says, "I am not just the creator; I am also a part of the work. As long as I am alive, the work grows; when I die, the work is completed." This integration of life and art gives the works a "living soul."
Ma Yujiang's story teaches us that art is not just paintings displayed in galleries; it is something that grows from life and coexists with it. As long as you are inspired and face the challenges in life with sincerity, everyone can turn their daily moments into their own art.