Sale by Maxence Ma

Born in Shanghai in 1983, I have lived in Paris since 2000 and relocated to central France in 2023, where I now live and work.

Long positioned at the intersection of different urban structures and cultural contexts, migration, confrontation, fusion, deconstruction and reconstruction have sustained my ongoing reflection on space, time and my own position within them.

After leaving major cities to live closer to nature, I gradually understood that nature is not a symbol of serenity. Hornet attacks, storms, fallen trees and flooded cities remind me of the individual’s smallness in the face of environmental force. These experiences have made my work more direct and more defined.

I work primarily with film photography, recording humidity and dust in the air, preserving the material trace of time. Painting extends these images through processes of addition, subtraction and reconstruction, moving toward a more abstract sensation.

Today, I no longer seek conclusions. I simply respond to present experience. Over time, this sense of respect and questioning toward nature may settle within the work.