Ma Ao is a Chinese contemporary artist and designer working across painting, experimental ink, and interdisciplinary visual practice. His work is characterized by a distinctive personal language and a strong visual structure that reflects both individual consciousness and cultural inquiry.

He graduated from Yunnan University with a degree in Painting and later obtained a Master’s degree in Ethnic Arts. His academic background and long-term artistic research have shaped a mature and independent creative direction.

Ma Ao has participated in international exhibitions such as CONTEMPORARY CHINA 1946–2019 (Italy) and the PRISM International Artists Exhibition (Norway), along with multiple contemporary art and cross-cultural exchange projects in China.

His work Shuncheng Temple is collected by the Brunei National Mosque, and Zhong Kui is collected by the Cross-Cultural Research Center of the University of Reggio, Italy.

Conceptually, Ma Ao proposes what he describes as “Post-Literati Consciousness” — using a new generation’s perspective to construct his own visual language. His practice explores the tension between individual identity, contemporary experience, and cultural symbolism, translating these reflections into a distinct and evolving artistic expression.

Rather than aligning with established stylistic conventions, Ma Ao continuously develops an independent visual system rooted in experimentation and personal conviction.