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M+ Sigg Collection, Hong Kong. By donation, © Ma Liuming
Ma Liuming 馬六明
Fen–Ma Liuming Walks the Great Wall 芬 馬六明在長城行走
1998
This black-and-white photograph documents a performance by Ma Liuming as his alter ego, Fen-Ma Liuming—a naked figure with long, flowing hair and make-up—walking the Great Wall of China. He is pictured here from behind, walking on the rubble of a ruined watchtower. Performing barefoot, Ma walked on the rough stones until his feet started to bleed. He mostly walked alone, occasionally encountering passersby. The performance was also filmed in colour, and the video begins with Ma applying lipstick and brushing his hair at the wall. The Great Wall was built to protect China from outsiders and is a powerful symbol of the country. Here, its symbolic strength and physical solidity are juxtaposed with the ambiguity of Ma’s body. While the wall separates and defines boundaries, Ma’s body challenges and blurs. Ma explored ideas of gender construction and introduced his alter ego in performances at the Beijing East Village, a community of avant-garde artists known for their experimentation with performance and the body in the early 1990s.
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