Ma Desheng Solo Exhibition by 10 Chancery Lane Gallery

MA DESHENG 馬德升

MA DESHENG

馬德升

A Rebel in Time, from the Stars of 1979 ‘til Now by Katie de Tilly

Each meeting with artist Ma Desheng is awe-inspiring. His formidable spirit is infallible and his artistic rigor irrepressible. Now in his 60s his long silver hair and white beard shape his effervescent eyes that sparkle with an eagerness and passion for life. His majestic charm and infectious laughter mask his inability to walk as his vibrant persona lifts us into his world of art and poetry. His wheelchair has neither stopped, nor deterred Ma from his creative ambitions in painting, poetry-writing, performing and now even sculpting. Ma Desheng paints daily with an extended brush on a stick constantly experimenting with shapes and textures. His studio in Paris in the 19th arrondissement is brimful with his paintings, most over 2 meters in size. Since his early years in China in the late 1970s, he has been experimenting with paintings of piles of boulders that infer figuration. The viewer endeavors to piece them into a head, an arm, a leg, perhaps a couple in embrace, maybe a mother holding a child. The seemingly inanimate objects have feeling, emotion and presence. The boulders balance on top of one another in perfect stability. The Yin Yang balance of white swirls within black oblong shapes are in perfect equilibrium. The stone piles stand up and stand strong. Like Ma’s imposing character, the resistance to compromise gleams from his eyes. As a young man of 25, Ma was refused entry into the arts academy in Beijing due to his inability to walk without crutches. He became an industrial draughtsman and wood-block printer and then started experimenting in ink painting and calligraphy. The years of his youth after the Cultural Revolution, where he was sent to the factory for the disabled to work, were an intense time. His generation yearned to break away from the confines of their world. The term “rebellious youth” took on another meaning in China as millions

returned from their places of reeducation. China was beginning to change and the years of the Beijing Spring brought new liberties. Ma and his friends were eager to express themselves freely and boldly. Art, literature, poetry, music and dancing were all new to them and they gorged on it to satisfy their insatiable thirst. In 1978, “Jintian” (Today) Magazine was founded, an underground mimeographed poetry and literature journal. The first issue was published on December 23rd 1978 with the involvement of artists Ma Desheng and Huang Rui. Ma Desheng submitted his wood-block prints. His engravings not only screamed of the desire for freedom but also the struggles of the simple man. He states, “I am an ordinary person and naturally love the lives of the simple folks: the old woman counting her sparkling clean coins, the cleaning person nimbly rolling cigarette ends, farmers at their work…” He also began his abstract stone figures during this time. Hints of cubism appear on the starkly contrasted black and white imagery of the woodcuts, as well as forbidden nude female figures. He says he wanted to create beauty but it was not fashionable at the time. The wood-block prints show the genius of Ma’s mind with his intense spirit and overwhelming sentiments. He says, “Black is the king of hues and white is the queen of colors. Black and white face each other in sharp contrast, like day and night in complementary rotation in the kaleidoscopic world and on the infinite journey.” In 1979, he joined Huang Rui’s initiative to hold a rogue exhibition of art by non-government sanctioned, mostly untrained artists. In itself, it was an act of rebellion against the system. A call for artistic freedom. They called themselves the Stars (Xing Xing 星星) and went with the motto of being the light in the endless black. They gathered the works of 23 artists working independently in Beijing and at night hung their works directly on the railings of the gate surrounding the National Art Museum of China. After two days, their works were removed by police. In a zealous move, they organized a march in protest holding the banners “Uphold the Constitution” and “Demand Artistic Freedom.” They fervently believed that their exhibition did nothing illegal and should be allowed. Ma was one of the speakers at the rally that thousands attended. They succeeded and were given an exhibition space to show their works in Beihai Park. A year later, they were invited to show inside the National Art Museum of China. The Stars artists included Ma Desheng, Huang Rui, Wang Keping, Qu Leilei, Li Shuang and Ai Weiwei among them. The Stars impact was felt across China with artists groups organizing themselves throughout the country. However, the years that followed were not easy for the Stars artists who were caught in between China’s political zigzagging; slowly opening itself up to a freer market economy, interspersed by trepidation and retractions. The artists were in a precarious situation and

started to feel a need to leave the country. Huang Rui moved to Japan, Wang Keping to France, Ai Weiwei to the US and Ma Desheng made it to Switzerland and then moved on to France. During this time Ma Desheng focused on his ink paintings and developed a technique of ink washing. His paintings took on the forms of abstraction, landscapes and his voluminous pear-shaped stylized women with tiny heads. Ma Desheng moved to the US where he was having artistic success, which was abruptly halted by a car accident in 1992 that left him paralyzed from the waist down. A slow recovery began. The first 2 years he was immobilized and he struggled to regain his movement in his hands. However, his extraordinary drive won, and he began to draw again with markers, making thousands of drawings until he could master his movements. Returning to France, Ma began painting again using paintbrushes attached to a stick. His stone paintings came back to life in 2002. Painted in black and white and sometimes red, the stones’ colors are a swish of movement lending them a lightness as they balance upon each other. The backgrounds are often textured adding another dimension to the works. The deliberate choice of the setting is as important as his subjects. They have a surreal quality of an imaginary world leading towards some far off “elsewhere.” The devices he uses act as a guide. A horizon seems to melt into the distance or a church-like window hangs above inviting escape from captivity or a column of light split opens a perspectival view. Something calls from the world beyond. The stone figures hold so much power and pride of place while the lofty surroundings lift them into a surreal plane. Monsieur Ma, as he is known in France, can be felt within his paintings and all that he is - a powerful force of nature, an illuminating guide away from our mundane obsessions and a man so full of life that he continues to gorge with insatiable thirst. Ma Desheng’s new year’s wishes this year summarizes his special zest for life:

Without air, there is no life. Without life, there is no soul. Without soul, there is no art. Without art, there are no dreams. Without dreams, there is no passion.

與時代抗衡

－1979年「星星」閃爍至今文／戴天利

每一次與藝術家馬德升會面，我都懷著敬畏與興奮的心情。他的精神強大得無懈可擊，對待藝術創作有著一份嚴謹的執著。他年過六旬，銀色的鬚髮襯托著炯炯有神的雙眼，洋溢著熱情滿瀉的生命力。他是個如此鮮活的角色，引領我們進入到他藝術與詩的世界暢遊。他英姿颯爽，笑聲頗具感染力，魅力難擋，常令我們忘卻他是一個行動不便的人。輪椅並沒有為馬德升的創作抱負帶來任何威脅，他踴躍地作畫、寫詩、做藝術表演，如今甚至做起了雕塑。馬德升用木棍製作加長版的畫筆，週而復始地在畫布上用不同的形狀和材質做試驗。他在巴黎19區的工作室堆滿了他的畫作，尺幅多數超過兩米。70年代末他還在中國的時候，已經開始畫疊起的巨石以表達人體。這些石頭似是一個頭顱、一彎手臂、一條腿，它們可以組合成相擁的情侶，或懷抱孩兒的母親，本身無生命的物件卻好似擁有了儀態、感覺和情緒。巨石一個個地疊起，平衡而穩固。黑色橢圓形內含白色漩渦，陰陽平衡。石堆堅挺地屹立著，正如馬德升氣宇軒昂，眼中充滿了百折不撓的神色。馬德升25歲時因身障因素被拒於北京藝術學院門外。他先是以工業製圖員為生，而後成為木刻版畫藝術家，再後來便開始了在水墨與書法領域的實驗。馬德升文革後被送進殘疾人士工廠做工的那幾年時勢緊迫，他與同世代的年輕人們力圖打破現狀、掙脫當時社會的諸多束縛。「叛逆青年」這個稱號隨著當時中國數百萬人脫離文革的「再教育」而有了新的含義。社會開始改變，而「北京之春」也為中國帶來新的自由。馬德升與其摯友們受到影響，極渴望自由並大膽地抒發己見。他們求學若渴，不斷地吸收藝術、文學、詩、音樂及舞蹈等新知，以填滿對知識與新世界的好奇與渴求。在1978年，地下文學雜誌—《今天》正式成立，

主要刊印當代文學與詩作。第一份期刊印刷於同年12月，裡面刊登了馬德升的木刻版畫與黃銳的創作。他的版畫不只展現他對自由的渴望，更表達了普通人民的苦難與掙扎。他說道：「我是一個普通人，自然對普通人民的生活更有感情：數著鋥亮硬幣的老婦人；清潔工人敏捷地捲著香煙；辛苦勞作的農民......」他也在同一時期開始以抽像手法繪製石頭。在強烈對比的黑墨與留白之間，能看到立體主義的痕跡與禁忌的女體形象。馬德升說過，他想要創造「美」，但當時「美」並不很流行。他的木刻版畫展現了他的智慧與天才，並傳遞他強烈的情感與靈魂。他說：「黑乃色之王，白則彩之后。黑白分明相對，朝夕旋轉相互，大千世界，道無極。」 1979年，馬德升參與了黃銳發起的民間藝術展覽，展出的大多是未經美術學院訓練過的非官方藝術家。這是一次對體制的反抗，對藝術自由的呼喚。這個藝術家群體取名為「星星」，喻為無盡黑夜裏一個個獨立的發光體。展覽前夕，他們未經允許，連夜把23位在北京獨立創作的藝術家的作品掛在中國美術館外公園的柵欄上。兩天之後，展覽便被警方取締。藝術家們熱血澎湃，立即組織了一場示威遊行，高舉「維護憲法遊行」、「要藝術自由」等橫額。他們深信展覽並沒有違法，不應該受到阻止。馬德升亦在千千萬萬人面前發起演講。示威遊行最終獲得成功，藝術家們被允許在北海公園辦展。次年，他們更受邀在中國美術館內展覽。「星星」的藝術家包括馬德升、黃銳、王克平、曲磊磊、李爽和艾未未。「星星畫會」的影響力遍佈全中國，藝術家群體如雨後春筍般湧現。然而到了後期時局大變，「星星」的藝術家陷入了僵局：中國的政局就像一場「拉鋸戰」，「改革開放」既帶來了自由市場又帶來了恐慌。懷著極度的不安全感，藝術家們紛紛搬離中國：黃銳移民到了日本，王克平去了法國，艾未未去了美國，而馬德升先是去了瑞士而後去了法國。出國後馬德升專注於畫水墨，並鑄成墨染的技法。他的抽象水墨，既畫山水又畫似梨形的小頭豐滿女人。馬德升於數年後移居美國，藝術事業也風生水起，不料在1992年遇到一場嚴重的車禍導致下半身癱瘓。復健期間，他的身體長達兩年處於不能活動的狀態，想要恢復手部活動能力簡直難乎其難。然而，內心非凡的驅動力支撐著他拿起馬克筆重新開始作畫。待恢復活動能力之時他已完成上千幅畫作。離開美國後馬德升再次回到法國。他把畫筆接在一根木棍上作畫，並在2002年重拾「石頭」這個主題。石頭的色調多是黑白，有時帶有一抹紅，賦予了這些壘放的石頭一股輕盈之感。同時，他對背景的設計與對石頭主體的設計一樣深思熟慮－非常有質感的背景令畫面更立體、更有層次，好像帶領我們進入了「外太空」，一個超現實的虛擬世界。他使用的意像給我們帶來一些線索：一條地平線逐漸向遠方延伸；貌似教堂的玻璃窗在高處，誘人逃之夭夭；一束散射的光打開一個全新的視野。一定是從天國傳來的呼喚。石頭人體擁有如此強大的力量，傲視群雄，被崇高的環境昇華到一個超現實的境界。在法國大家稱他為「Monsieur Ma」（馬先生），在他的畫作裏似乎能感覺到這個角色的存在－一股來自自然的強大力量；帶領我們遠離俗塵的啟明燈；一個充滿生命力的男人，充滿了永無止境的渴望。今年，馬德升的新年願望是一首詩，總結了他對生命抱有的特殊熱情：

沒有空氣，就沒有生命。沒有生命，就沒有靈魂。沒有靈魂，就沒有藝術。沒有藝術，就沒有夢想。沒有夢想，就沒有激情。

ACRYLIC ON CANVAS

An Exciting Moment 顫動一刻 2006 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 150 cm

The Path è·¯ 2006 Acrylic on canvas 180 x 200 cm

Looking Beyond the Thousand Miles Clouds 看遍萬里雲 2009 Acrylic on canvas 150 x 250 cm

Hope 希冀 2006 Acrylic on canvas 114 x 162 cm

Monumentality 浩浩蕩蕩 2008 Acrylic on canvas 180 x 200 cm

Relief 釋然 2008 Acrylic on canvas 180 x 200 cm

Purified Soul 心如明鏡 2007 Acrylic on canvas 130 x 195 cm

High Mountain From Afar 遠遠高山 2007 Acrylic on canvas 150 x 200 cm

Time Tunnel 時光隧道 2005 Acrylic on canvas 114 x 146 cm

(previous page) The Manifestation of All 高下齊現 2007 Acrylic on canvas 250 x 300 cm The Self Rules 呎在心中 2007 Acrylic on canvas 162 x 114cm

Things and Words 物語 2007 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 140 cm

Deep Thoughts 思前想後 2006 Acrylic on canvas 180 x 200 cm

Celebrating With Songs and Dances 歌舞昇平 2008 Acrylic on canvas 130 x 162 cm

Loving Snow 愛雪 2008 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 150 cm

Telling Stories 訴說故事 2008 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 150 cm

Reaching Destination 地盡頭 2008 Acrylic on canvas 140 x 200 cm

Window At the Back 後窗 2009 Acrylic on canvas 180 x 200 cm

Looking Beyond the Window 看透窗外 2007 Acrylic on canvas 250 x 150 cm

Fate ç·£ 2007 Acrylic on canvas 140 x 200 cm

Ocean Cliff At Night 海邊深宵 2007 Acrylic on canvas 150 x 200 cm

The Duo 如影皆雙 2007 Acrylic on canvas 150 x 200 cm

Gemini 雙子星 2004 Acrylic on canvas 162 x 130 cm

The Song 獨歌 2008 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 150 cm

Current Sense 時代感應 2006 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 140 cm

Cluster 成群結伴 2003 Acrylic on canvas 195 x 130 cm

Balance 平衝 2004 Acrylic on canvas 130 x 97 cm

INK PAINTINGS

Dream of Mountains 山夢 1984 Ink on paper 96 x 177 cm

Rising 昇揚 1984 Ink on paper 62 x 135 cm

Enlightenment æ&#x201A;&#x; 1988 Ink on paper 68 x 113 cm

Happy Together 樂聚 1988 Ink on paper 67.5 x 114.5 cm

The Soft Thought 意綿綿 1986 Ink on paper 68 x 118.5 cm

Faceted Stones 石頭記 1991 Ink on paper 84 x 154.5 cm

A Break after Dancing II 舞後的歇息 II 1988 Ink on paper 69 x 123 cm

Goal Targeted 目標清晰 1986 Ink on paper 84 x 64..5 cm

Pavilion äº 1987 Ink on paper 102.5 x 70 cm

Hidden Valley 幽谷 1984 Ink on paper 67 x 116 cm

Protecting Branch 護苗 1986 Ink on paper 137 x 69 cm

Dialogue 對話 1986 Ink on paper 135 x 65 cm

Black and White Paths 黑白道 1986 Ink on paper 69 x 117 cm Reached Out 闖出天涯 1986 Ink on paper 68 x 138 cm

A Square with Eight Facets 四方八面 1987 Ink on paper 68.5 x 86.5 cm

Explicit and Implicit 處於內外 1991 Ink on paper 167 x 88.5 cm

Imaging the Nature 草林花鳥之聯想 1991 Ink on paper 143 x 84 cm

To Understand 會意 1991 Ink on paper 154 x 84 cm

With Strength 全神 1991 Ink on paper 85 x 155 cm

MA DESHENG 馬德升

Born in 1952 in Beijing, China. Moved to Paris in 1968, where he currently lives and works. SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2019 2018 2014 2013 2011 2010 2007 2006 2001 1999 1986

10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Hong Kong Entre Terre et Ciel, Galerie A2Z, Paris Black . White . Grey: Solo exhibition of Ma Desheng (Works of 1979-2013), Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, Hong Kong Selected Works, Gallery Rossi-Rossi, London Ma Desheng: Beings of Peter, Breath of Life, Asian Art Museum, Nice, France; Museum Cernuschi, Paris Story of Stone: solo exhibition of Ma Desheng, organised by Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong Ma Desheng, Galerie Jacques Barrere, Paris Faceted Symphony: solo exhibition of Ma Desheng, University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Ma Desheng, Michael Goedhuis, New York The Paintings of Ma Desheng, Gallery Michael Goedhuis, London Prints by Ma Desheng, FIAP (engravings), Paris

GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2019 2016 2015 2013 2012 2011 2009 2008 2005 2004 2003 2002 2000 1998 1997 1996 1995

Art Basel Hong Kong 2019, 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Hong Kong Chateau Charmarante, France M+ Sigg Collection, Four Decades of Chinese Contemporary Art, Artistree, Hong Kong Busan Biennale, Busan, Korea Carreau du Temple, Paris British Museum, London 1992-2002 Renaissance, Galerie A2Z, Paris Gallery Magda Danysz, Paris Voice of the Unseen – Chinese Independent Art Since 1979, Arsenale (Organised by Guangdong Museum of Art), Venice, Italy Gallery Frank Pages, Switzerland; Art Miami, USA Blooming in the Shadows: Unofficial Chinese Art, 1974–1985, China Institute, New York Chinese Artists in Paris 1920 - 1958: from Lin Fengmian to Zao Wou-ki, Musée Cernuschi, Paris, France The Biennial Exhibition, Yerres, France Go China! Exhibition, Groninger Museum, Les Pays-Bas, The Netherlands Majong – Chinese Contemporary Art, Museum de Berne, Switzerland Sens interdit, Espace Culturel François Mitterrand de Périgueux, et Ancien Evêché de Sarlat, France Espace Saint-Jean, the city of Melun, France Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, China Exposition Ministère des Finances, Place des arts, Paris Demand for Artistic Freedom: The Stars, Twenty Years, Gallery Tokyo, Japan Gallery Leda Caricio Fletcher de Milano, Italy Ventabren Art Contemporain, France Exposition Palais des Congres de Royan, France Gallery Florence Arnaud, Paris Espace Saint-Jean, the city of Melun, France Gallery Michael Goedhuis, London Ethan Cohen Fine Art, New York Gallery Bellefroid, Paris

1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1983 1982 1980 1979

Yang Din -Ma Desheng, Fondation Oriente Sociedade Nacional de Belas-Arts, Lisbonne, Portugal Gallery de France, Paris Gallery Claudine Planque, Lausanne, Switzerland Gallery Façade, Paris Gallery Phoenix, New York Gallery de Ballens, Switzerland Gallery de Casa Garden, Macau Theatre Claude Debussy, Par la ville de Maison-Alfort, France The Xing Xing 10 Years, Gallery Hanart 2, Taipei, Taiwan Gallery J & J Donguy, Paris Gallery Sunnen, New York Centre Cultural de France, organised by UNESCO, Florence, Italy Gallery Plexus, Bordeaux, France The Xing Xing 10 Years, Hanart Gallery, Hong Kong Ink Paintings, Espace Saint-Jean, Melun, France Gallery de Ballens, Switzerland Cité des Arts, Paris Gallery Claudine Planque, Lausanne, Switerland Bibliothèque du Centre Pompidou (engravings), Paris Gallery Claudine Planque, Lausanne, Switzerland Gallery G, Paris Xing Xing Exhibition by Six Stars, Art Waves Gallery, New York Gallery Claudine Planque & Gallery Monique Picard, Lausanne, Switzerland Visions in Ink, Museum of Oriental Arts in Stockholm, Sweden Avant-Garde Chinese Art, City Gallery, New York Ma Desheng and Huang Rui, Osaka Contemporary Art Centre, Osaka, Japan Gallery Claudine Planque, Lausanne, Switzerland Ma Desheng, Huang Rui and Wang Keping, Beijing Brooklyn Museum, New York Stars, National Art Museum of China, Beijing Stars, Beihai Park, Beijing

COLLECTIONS M+ Museum, Hong Kong Centre Pompidou National Museum of Modern Art Museum d’Histoire Contemporaine de Paris, France Museum d’Art Contemporaine de Chamalières, France Collection municipale d’Art Contemporaine de la ville de Paris, France Casa Garden, Macau Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan Museum of Oxford, London, England Museum de Melun, France University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Asian Art Museum, Nice, France The British Museum, London, England Museum Cernuschi, Paris, France Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

an associated project of

ALL WORKS OF ART COPYRIGHT ÂŠ MA DESHENG 10 Chancery Lane Gallery Designed by Rachel Man Tung Ching Photo credit Ma Desheng, page 4 Photo credit Li Xiaobin, page 8 Photo credit Michel Lunardelli, page 11 ISBN 978-98816893-7-5 This booklet is published on the occasion of the exhibition MA DESHENG SOLO EXHIBITION at 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Hong Kong from May 8 to June 22, 2019. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Hong Kong, 2019