Ma Haijiao
*1990, Beijing, China
Ma Haijiao’s residency at Fundaziun Nairs is supported by the Swiss Art Council, Pro Helvetia, Shanghai
Ma Haijiao (b.1990, Hebei province, China) studied from 2009 to 2016 at the China Academy of Art, where he gained a BA and then an MA. He now lives and works in Beijing. His artistic mediums include documentary video, photography, video installations, text, and paintings. His works explore the thoughts and sensitivities of individuals about the immediate environments, and the larger context of society and history. For example, subjects such as “Family” and “Urban Spectacle” are brought up in his long-term project “Image Biography Project Mr. Quan” and “Landscape Project”. In recent years, his work has also touched on “Geopolitics” and “Plants and Ecology”. Those works are created from Ma Haijiao’s personal experience and his close observation of everyday life, then he creates his visual language that combines the appearance of reality with poetic flourishes.
His recent solo exhibition includes “The North” (Tabula Rasa Gallery, Beijing, 2022); “If We Delete Green, If We Start Caring About Plants” (Tabula Rasa Gallery, London, 2022); “A Room with a View” (Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou, 2021); “Happy Valley” (Tabula Rasa Gallery, Beijing, 2018). He has participated in art exhibitions including MOCA Yinchuan (2025); G Museum (Nanjing, 2023); Guangdong Museum of Art (2023); OCAT (Xi’an, 2022; Shenzhen, 2019; Shanghai, 2018); Inside-Out Art Museum (Beijing, 2020); Gallery Baton (Seoul, 2019); Art Basel, Hong Kong (2019); UCCA Center for Contemporary Art (Beijing, 2017); The 11th Shanghai Biennale (2016).
Ma Haijiao is a nominee for the Porsche Young Chinese Artist of the Year 2024–2025. His film “Light from the Sun” received the Best Creative Award at the 2025 NOWNESS Short Film Talents, and his works have twice been shortlisted for the Short Short Film section of the FIRST International Film Festival (2025, 2021). He was nominated for the JIMEI x ARLES Discovery Award (2020) and received the EACA (East Asian Contemporary Art) Award (2019). A finalist for the Huayu Youth Award at Art Sanya (2018) and the 10th Three Shadows Photography Award, he was also nominated for the ART021 x Porsche Young Chinese Artist of the Year (2017). His works are in the collections of the Smart Museum of Art (Chicago), Power Station of Art (Shanghai), and ZARYA Center for Contemporary Art (Vladivostok).