KWAI FUNG HIN ART GALLERY G/F, 20 ICE HOUSE STREET, CENTRAL, HONG KONG MA DESHENG (1952, China) Set against brilliantly coloured backdrops, Ma Desheng's painted stone compositions assume a cloak of humanness. They fluidly transform into lively figures that leap, dance, wrestle, and engage in other playful encounters with one another, or else they appear as lone beings, lost within their own ponderings. The arrangements of rocks seem to shift continously, transforming themselves from one apparent figure into another right before the viewer's eyes. This vitality is aided by the vivacious brushstrokes that unravel within the boundaries of each stone. This intense gestural quality, set alongside the even yet incandescent background colours, creates a charged juxtaposition that imbues each canvas with a vigorous energy.