| A squatting person crouches his body, a red shadow cast on the ground, against a bright yellow backdrop. This is the work of artist Ma Yue. Ma uses this imagery and a unique language to speak for the common people, voicing their nightmares. Throughout the Squatting series, Ma’s special consideration for the ordinary people is conspicuous. In the painting, the subject—no matter if it’s a group of people or one individual—is very small at the center of the piece, looking helpless and unnoticeable. The image exudes an indefinable feeling of terror. The figure is like a suspect, manipulated and interrogated, conflicted and agonized. | 
|
Zhang Xiao-Jun
Ma Yue, Squatting No. 3, 2008. 27 x 23 x 21 cm. Courtesy of Dr. Gallery.A squatting person crouches his body, a red shadow cast on the ground, against a bright yellow backdrop. This is the work of artist Ma Yue. Ma uses this imagery and a unique language to speak for the common people, voicing their nightmares.
Throughout the Squatting series, Ma’s special consideration for the ordinary people is conspicuous. In the painting, the subject—no matter it’s a group of people or one individual—is very small at the center of the piece, looking helpless and unnoticeable. The image exudes an indefinable feeling of terror. The figure is like a suspect, manipulated and interrogated, conflicted and agonized.
Squatting, a common posture, typical of underdogs, is an instinctive reaction when they are threatened by tyranny. With such a posture, they protect themselves on the physical level, and console themselves on the psychological level. Squatting then becomes a totem for the common people.
