Ma was born in Hubei Province, China, in 1969. He graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Hubei Academy of Fine Arts in 1991. Ma is considered a conceptual performance artist, and has performed solo shows including "Untitled II" at the 7th International Istanbul Biennale in 2001; "Any Day" (2003, Japan); and other solo exhibitions in Beijing, China (2004); Seoul, South Korea (2006); Madrid, Spain (2007). He has also participated in numerous group performances and exhibitions, including the Traveling Exhibition: "Translated Acts" at the Queens Museum of Art (2001), and "Peripheries Become the Center" at the 2003 Prague Biennale.