Artwork Description

Title: NO.13
Artist: Ma Liuming
Date: n.d.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 55.1 x 39.4 in. (140 x 100 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
NO.13 is a striking oil painting by Ma Liuming, a pioneering figure in Chinese performance art. Executed on a large vertical canvas, the work features a haunting visage emerging through a dense matrix of vertical strokes in black and white, interspersed with gold accents. The image appears veiled or refracted, as if viewed through a curtain of cascading lines, offering only a partial glimpse of the face beneath. This elusive composition lends the piece a sense of psychological depth, evoking both introspection and concealment.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
While Ma Liuming is internationally recognized for his radical performance work, his return to painting in the 2000s reveals a continuity of thematic inquiry—particularly concerning identity, visibility, and the body. NO.13 reflects elements of abstract portraiture fused with a performative sensibility, echoing the layering and theatricality found in his earlier persona-based art. The vertical striations bear resemblance to digital distortion or curtain veils, suggesting both technological and metaphysical barriers to self-revelation. The incorporation of gold imparts a sacred or ethereal quality, aligning with East Asian spiritual aesthetics as well as contemporary abstraction.

3. Historical Context
Ma Liuming emerged in the early 1990s as a central figure of the Beijing East Village movement, known for confronting the limits of censorship and physical autonomy in China. His alter ego, Fen-Ma Liuming, blurred gender boundaries and ignited debate across national and international platforms. Following years of provocative performance, Ma’s shift back to oil painting does not mark a retreat, but rather a reinvention. Works like NO.13 channel the intensity of his performance history into meditative visual form, functioning as intimate portraits of psychological terrain in the wake of public exposure.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The work is in very good condition. The paint surface is stable, with no visible craquelure, fading, or structural issues. The texture of the layered vertical lines is crisp and luminous under exhibition lighting, with the gilded elements retaining their brilliance. The frame is likewise in excellent condition.

6. Artistic Significance
Ma Liuming remains one of the most influential figures in contemporary Chinese art. His performance legacy and bold transgressions have been well documented, but works like NO.13 attest to his continued relevance and evolution as a visual artist. This painting exemplifies his mature exploration of identity not through bodily exposure, but through concealment and fragmentation. Bridging the realms of performance and painting, NO.13 stands as a powerful meditation on personal mythology and the opacity of human presence—making it an exceptional acquisition for collectors interested in Chinese avant-garde history and conceptual portraiture.