当代艺术家马元《种子——小弥乐的七个游戏》艺术展在可乐马古典家具博物馆开幕

This Is It

In Buddhism, the concept of “Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed” suggests that the vast universe can be condensed into a tiny particle, similar to how quantum mechanics describes microscopic particles coexisting in multiple states simultaneously. This notion of macro-micro symbiosis provides a paradoxical perspective on understanding the nature of existence, as well as the dialectical relationship between the infinite and the finite.

Artist Ma Yuan constructs heterotopian spaces that bridge reality and imagination through the pure form of play. His seven works not only point to childhood as the original source of being, but also reveal a mode of existence that transcends linear time. In Xiao Mile’s “playground,” a cross-generational dialogue unfolds between grandfather and grandson, reflecting innocence and wisdom, blending playfulness with Zen insight, and dissolving the boundaries between tradition and the present. Each piece creates a miniature cognitive space, where countless possible images emerge within seemingly aimless play, collectively forming a lively artistic field.

Where innocence brings joy, and nature leads the way.The artist employs "seven" as a metric, bridging the carefree and transcendent life attitudes of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove with the inherent playfulness of childhood nature. Through intergenerational interaction intervening in the growth narrative of Little Mile, the dialectical relationship between Wei-Jin metaphysics' "privileging nothingness" (gui wu) and "valuing being" (chong you) is reactivated as a "state of relaxation" possessing creative potential in contemporary contexts.Like the segmental growth of bamboo, which embodies both resilient progression and natural rhythm, this creates a human generative process of "creating something from nothing, and understanding nothingness through being" , as brilliant as a rainbow.

This exhibition is about origins and revival. The artist transforms intergenerational love into a transcendent spatial experience. In an atmosphere rich in the spirit of play, every interaction is an act of selfless giving, and each experience leads to a deeper understanding. This giving is not a one-way gift but a mutual reflection, like the bamboo shoot breaking through the earth; this growth is not mere proliferation but an activation akin to quantum entanglement. Between giving and growth, we witness life’s most genuine joy: dormant seeds, budding spring shoots, and a future full of promise. This is a state of creation beyond utility, a poetic dwelling where life returns to its authentic essence.

Just as a seed contains infinite potential, this exhibition will nurture unique understandings and insights within each participant. In play, we rediscover long-lost relaxation; in family affection, we touch the joy of inheritance. Ultimately, this points to a dimension beyond time and space: wisdom found in innocence, transcendence in nature, and innovation within cycles of rebirth.

Zhao Hongwei

October 26, 2024