Featuring sixteen portraits of iconic Chinese actresses from the Golden era of Shanghai films, this exhibition captures and celebrates the understated icons that make up one of the most important era in Chinese cinematic and theatrical history.

In Chinese ink, Ma Yanling appropriates iconic images of past advertisements, film posters and stills onto canvas. A soft veil of hand-painted thread-thin acrylic lines blurs the idols, mysticizing their classic elegance. Unlike a realist portrait, Ma reduces the facial contours to simply hair and facial features, focusing our attention the stars’ aura.

It is said that Ma paints time, capturing the essence of female beauty and classicism from a distant past. According to the performance artist and painter, the traditional values intrinsic to Chinese female roles have been lost amidst modernization and Westernization. Ma “only paints movie stars from the 30s. [Through this exhibition]. we can enjoy the purity and Oriental beauty missing in our contemporary”. Taking viewers through a cultural journey, accompanying each portrait is an analysis of the character’s past, their relationship with one another and at times, the original image from which the portrait was drawn.

Ma Yanling built her artistic career through the notorious “Gun” series performances at Tian’an Men beginning in 2003. Emphasizing female presence and freedom in the political arena, the “Gun” series depict Ma with gun raised pointed to her temple. In this series, Ma demonstrates her milder and feminine side, and commemorates the female contribution in cinematic and cultural significance, celebrating the female beauty and role in shaping China’s cultural legacy.

Before further studying in Beijing Film Academy, Ma graduated from Xiangfan University Institute of Fine Arts. She started her career as a performance artist with performances in China, America, Belgium and Japan and most recently at the Tate Modern in the UK. The artist lives and works in Beijing.

Image: © Ma Yanling, LDX Gallery