Artists have a variety of methods to make their mark. Every Friday we will share a photograph of an #ArtistInAction. Yue Minjun’s practice takes self portraiture to surreal extremes. The artist is known for placing his own face, contorted in laughter, into each of his works. Every piece is overwhelmed by one or more broad, smiling, strained faces, often painted in sinewy red-tinged detail. Born in 1962 in Daqing, China, Yue Minjun’s work draws on art historical compositions and the artist’s own interactions with reality. He places an absurd and exaggerated version of himself in contexts reminiscent of cheerful figures on Cultural Revolution era posters or the grinning Maitreya Buddha. In each painting, sculpture, or print he explores the disparity between reality and idealized humanity, and the uncanny way a smile can become its opposite. #YueMinjun Image: Yue Minjun in his studio in Beijing. Photo by Jonathan Becker for Vanity Fair, 2007.