Ma Yanhong Shaanxi, China, b. 1977

Lives and works in Beijing, China.

Ma Yanhong majored at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China. Yanhong is known for her realistic portraits of young people, where she juggles with the intimacy of the subjects in the painting and the interest of the viewer, so there is a balance between voyeurism and exhibitionism in those seemingly quotidian scenes.

She is interested in the beauty of the human body. She begins with photo shoots with models, who are her friends, classmates and teachers, at specific sites. Then, she recaptures what was on film on her canvas. To Yanhong, a painting is an alternative existence where all impossibilities of society become possible.

Her work was shown at solo shows at C5 Art Center Beijing; Boers-Li Gallery, Beijing, and Goedhuis Contemporary, New York. Yanhong has also been part of diverse group exhibitions at museums and galleries, including Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing; Lin & Lin Gallery, Taipei; The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark; Yunfeng Art Gallery, Beijing, among others.