Using Western techniques to illustrate Chinese subjects are par for the course in Ma Kelu's search for artistic freedom.
Organized in chronological order, the works shed light on his disciplinary approaches in conveying the relationship between form, free will and life in an inhibited environment.
"The group influenced how I went about being an artist," Ma said. "In those years, we influenced each other by having discussions, arguing with one another and forming a very characteristic art community. Together, we developed our own artistic concept and methodology, and we grew together during the 70s and early 80s."
His early works had touches of Impressionism and modernism. Lake in Gray and Autumn Lotus Pond are emblematic of his time with the No Name Group, before he continued to develop more non-representational paintings, such as White and Composition in Black No 1."The Impressionists started a very important connection between light, color and shadow in painting nature," said Ma. "The revolution of color and light opened up modernism as a whole."
That said, though, he refuses to be pigeonholed."I can say that my art comes from many aspects - perhaps including reality, natural existence, thoughts, fantasy, or all of these - but each of my works is ultimately the existence of my spirit."
In his recent series, Ada, Ma again deviates from familiar elements in art, where the paintings do not follow any established artistic criteria. He uses a special image transfer method to suppress the traces of brush strokes, further embracing the incidental nature of painting.Free from any meaning, interpretation and rules, the medium became the content of his work instead. "Painting is almost a madness and impossibility. We enjoy it, even though it gives us no path of return; painting is a way of existence, a spiritual drift," he said.
Throughout his artistic journey, Ma has been largely influenced by modernist painters such as Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning. However, perhaps the most prominent figure that shaped his abstract works is 17th-century Chinese artist Bada Shanren, a literati painter also known as Zhu Da from the Qing Dynasty.Most of Bada's works could be seen as a predecessor of Chinese modern art, manifested from his use of ink, subject matter and brush strokes. Ma reproduces the style and compositions in his Bada series.
Featuring large-scale paintings made with oil and mixed media that subvert traditional landscape paintings, the works show how he incorporates Chinese ink paintings with Western abstraction.Ma said: "I don't paint for a particular reason, but from an inner need. I am inspired to paint by many different things.
"Over the decades, the way I paint has changed and I have gone through various stages, from figurative to abstract art. So my motivation and inspiration are also varied - whether it be a body of water, a forest, a natural scene, or the feeling that the seasons give me."It may also be a book I've read, music I've listened to, a poem, or even a motto, or a very short piece of music that will touch me, as well as continuous thoughts about the transformation of painting and the progress of working methods and generative logic."
To break away from tradition, one has to master it first. "In any artistic practice, you have to think a lot about the past, present and future of art," he added. "I had to deal with the issues of self-discipline - such as how do I recognize and master them - and then gain freedom from them. This is the most important thing for any modern and contemporary artist. That is the ultimate freedom of art."Wilderness: A Solo Exhibition by Ma Kelu will be on view at Pearl Lam Galleries until July 30.
