Shou Ma
Lives in Guangzhou Guangdong
Photo by Shou Ma
瘦马
现居住于广东广州
摄影瘦马
Woodturning
We live in a world where most of the things are manufacture products: food, clothes, objects…There’s nothing wrong with it. Because of the large population, we have to produce things in massive quantities to fill the demand. However, owning and using handmade items is rare and luxurious. We are more used to industrial objects, even they are so perfectly conceived and functional. But something is missing. These cold objects don’t have a soul.
We say often that the craftsman embodies a part of himself in the handmade object. So this might be one of the reasons that these objects seem alive, they are breathing.
Shou Ma is a nickname given by his friends. In Chinese, Shou (瘦) means thin, Ma (马) means horse. He didn’t receive any formal artistic education, he had been a cook, private detective. He loves photography, travelling; likes to work with hands.
From the bowl, plate to caddy, vase, these wooden items are plain and muted, but their quiet presence releases a humble grace and sereneness, with an autumnal feel and a sombre mood. The subtle beauty relies on the visual and tactile texture of wood, also on the shape and proportion of the object. Each one is unique, their one-of-a-kind feel.
Shou Ma has exquisite craft skills, but he is not looking for sublime perfection. He just wants to reveal the natural beauty of each wood. This makes his creation less grandiose, less highfalutin, but more humane. His wooden objects have a warm temperature, and they touch our heart. Because they are made with a heart.
