Malone Ma (Caricaturist) (), also known by his pen name Ma Sing-yuen (Chinese: 馬æÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ), is a Hong Kong caricaturist and Chinese ink artist. As of 2024, he has held 6 solo art exhibitions.
Themes of his comics include history, biography, slice-of-life and childrenâÂÂs educational caricatures. He used to work as an art director and art editor for newspapers and magazines and has been publishing his works in several major newspapers in Hong Kong since 1984. His works have received numerous awards. He created the âÂÂWhite Cat Black Catâ series with writer Fong She-mei, and a sculpture of its protagonist- âÂÂQ BoyâÂÂ, is now established at Kowloon Park and Golden Bauhinia Square.
Ma sent his first piece of artwork to a newspaper in 1973, which marked the start of his career. Shortly after, he started working as a caricaturist and then an art director for several newspapers and magazines.
In 1983, Ma co-founded the âÂÂHong Kong Cartoonist Associationâ with other caricaturists/cartoonists who upheld mutual interests: Zunzi, Mok Wah, Yat Muk, and Yeung Wai-pong. The association hosted several local comic exhibitions and exchange activities with Mainland Chinese caricaturists.
Ma created the âÂÂWhite Cat Black Catâ series together with writer Fong She-mei in 2004. Q boy, the protagonist of the âÂÂWhite Cat Black Catâ series, was one of the 24 classic local comic characters selected by the Hong Kong Comics and Animation Federation (HKCAF) in 2012. The three-dimensional sculpture of Q boy was displayed at the Hong Kong Avenue of Comic Stars in Kowloon Park, Tsim Sha Tsui; and at Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai. The success of the âÂÂWhite Cat Black Catâ series earned them a Ming Pao interview later that year.
In 2014, invited by Sing Tao Education (Chinese), Ma and Fong created a series of comics based on 12 classical Chinese texts. Meanwhile, his works were presented at the âÂÂAn Encounter with Xuanzangâ exhibition held by the Shanghai Zhongwai Culture Art Exchange Association.
In 2015, Ma held his first Chinese brush paintings exhibition at the City Hall High Block. The same year, Ma and Fong published the book âÂÂFun with Classical ChineseâÂÂ. The book was one of the best-selling publications that year in Hong Kong.
In 2017, Ma's second Ink Painting Exhibition was held at Fo Guang Yuan Changhua Art Gallery (Hong Kong). Moreover, Ma was invited to a seminar during the 2017 Hong Kong Book Fair to recall his journey of art creation. Then in July, he joined the Hong Kong Art Gallery Association (HKAGA) where two of his ink paintings. âÂÂBodhidharma Across the Riverâ and âÂÂBodhidharma Facing the WallâÂÂ, were exhibited at the seminar âÂÂVisions Present and FutureâÂÂ.
In 2018, Ma held his third Chinese Poetry and Ink Painting Exhibition âÂÂGlimpse of the Bygone: Ma Sing Yuen's Chinese Poetry and Ink Painting Exhibitionâ at the Tsimshatsui Book Centre of the Commercial Press in Hong Kong, which drew inspiration from Fun with Classical Chinese, which he had jointly produced with Fong She-mei. He was also invited abroad to have a solo exhibition in September at the Nan Tien Temple Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery in Sydney.
Furthermore, in 2018, Ma and Fong hosted âÂÂRainbow PaletteâÂÂ, a 13-episode programme of the RTHK. Later, they were interviewed by online media âÂÂSingjaiâÂÂ.
Since 2019, Ma has been serving as an arts instructor for the âÂÂPromotion of Chineseâ programme and the âÂÂCartoon Story Writing and Creative Writing Workshopâ of the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) of Hong Kong.
In 2024, Ma co-hosted the âÂÂIn Memory of the 105th Anniversary of Master HongyiâÂÂs Ordination: The Li Lijuan-Ma Singyuen Ink Painting and Calligraphy Joint Exhibitionâ with Li Lijuan. In the same year, he also held the "Happy Ink Paintings: Ma Singyuen Ink Painting Exhibition" at Hong Kong City Hall.
He has argued that libraries should pay royalties to Hong Kong authors.