Artist Statement | Ma Liuming

In 1993, I began the series of works entitled “Fen Ma Liuming” with a camera. I worked with photographers Xu Zhiwei and Xing Danwen, who took the pictures for me. At that time, photography had not yet entered the realm of contemporary art in China, and most photographers were still doing documentary photography. My work influenced the photographic practice of some photographers who started to pose for the camera, and after that conceptual photography emerged in China. In other words, the artist defines the scene and content in advance, and the photography is done around the artist's idea.

The idea for “Fen Ma Liuming” was to show a "neutral" character based on feminine-looking faces on male bodies. Before shooting "Fen Ma Liuming III," I asked a friend of mine to lend me her everyday clothes, from which I selected the more feminine ones. I gradually started to compose the image in my mind for the background and the posture I needed. On the day of the shoot, I first talked with the photographer about what I wanted to do. I asked him to record the make-up process and the black background, set up to emphasize the character of “Fen Ma Liuming.” I then repeated different feminine poses so that the photographer could record them from different angles, and after the photos were developed, I chose what I needed from all of them, that is, I would choose a few photos that I thought could represent the visuals I imagined for future exhibitions. This artwork was meant to be presented to the viewers by way of pictures.

When I did "Fen - Ma Liuming's Lunch Series II," I proceeded in a similar manner. I told the photographer what I was going to do before the performance, and the photographer was prepared to record my performance from different perspectives. I was consistent and slow throughout the performance to have a feel for the camera, because I was moving more in this performance. After the photos were developed, I selected a few photos that I felt best represented the process and state of behavior.

In 1996, I started a series of performances called "Self-portraits by Fen-Ma Liuming." In my studio in Liulitun, I took 36 self-portraits using a camera mounted on a tripod and a self-timer. The aperture, focal length and composition were all spontaneous and unchanged throughout the shoot. The performance ended after 36 shots, the standard number for a traditional roll of film.

There was another self-portrait performance in 1997 at the Setagaya Art Museum in Japan as part of the group exhibition DE-GENDERISM. Holding a tripod, I photographed myself next to all the participating artists' works on the gallery walls, with many visitors following me. Due to the fixed aperture, speed and focal length of the camera, and the uncertain composition and lighting at the time of the self-portraits, so-called "bad photos" resulted. I called them “incidental” photos and presented them as works.