Chapter One: Uncertainties – Walking on Unstable Grounds

April 7 – May 1, 2021

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Ma Yujiang 马玉江

I Do I Do Nothing

2020—ongoing
Performance on live video, 1 hour per day
Courtesy of the artist

I Do I Do Nothing - Youtube-Livestream

I Do I Do Nothing is an ongoing art project by Ma Yujiang. For an hour every day, he does nothing, just waits for the time to pass. His non-doing is recorded in a live broadcast. In contrast to many people’s desire to attain fame and fortune during their limited lifetime, the artist tries to find a way to make meaning within time. Unlike meditation in religion, it has nothing to do with health or bodily preservation; he is also not resisting capitalism by rejecting labor. Ma’s work is simply based on existential thoughts. He uses his body to measure time, record time, and uses his lifespan and body to document his non-process. Similar to Sisyphus, who repeatedly pushes a rock up a mountain, the artist, in his absurd performance, overcomes the fear of the passing of time through repeated non-actions.