ChinaHouse Penang is currently holding a solo art exhibition by German artist Ma Knut. The exhibition is on view until Sunday, July 26, 2026.
She is a self-taught contemporary artist whose work bridges painting, mythology and the subconscious.
She holds a BA (Hons) in Interior Architecture from London Metropolitan University and an MA in Performance Design & Practice from Central Saint Martins, London.
She began painting more than a decade ago while working as an events designer in London, initially using art as a personal refuge from the structures and routines of commercial design.
Since 2021, she has devoted herself fully to her artistic practice and has exhibited internationally in Germany, Dubai, Mauritius, Singapore, Bali (Indonesia) and Malaysia.
Most recently, she is presenting a new body of work at ChinaHouse in Penang, created during an artist residency at Bon Ton Locale in Langkawi.
Ma Knit’s intuitive paintings explore the intersection of mythology, nature, and the subconscious. Rooted in perennial philosophy and inspired by ancient symbolism, anthropology, and her extensive travels, her work invites viewers into imagined realms where the boundaries between reality and the metaphysical dissolve.
Recurring motifs—including the eye, symbolising consciousness, perception, and the divine, and the white square or cube, representing the four elements and the presence of structure within intuition—have become subtle signatures throughout her practice.
Working in a distinctive and recognisable visual language, her paintings have found collectors across several countries around the world.
Outside the studio, Ma Knut is an avid reader with a particular passion for philosophy, mysticism and the arts. These enduring interests continue to shape and deepen the conceptual foundations of her work, enriching a practice driven by curiosity, intuition and a lifelong exploration of the unseen.