Son of an acclaimed paleographist, calligrapher and seal carver master Ma Kwok Kuen, Ma Tat Wai was taught art by his father since childhood. He has further obtained inspiration from art legends，such as Cheng Shifa and Song Wenzhi through their personal relationships since the 1970s. Ma obtained a Diploma in Chinese Ink Painting from the School of Continuing Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1991. In the following year he and his father jointly published the seal-carving album "Seal Designs for Guangdong's Counties and Cities". Since the 1990s he wrote art history and research articles for "Han Mo," an art collector's journal. In 2012 a joint art exhibition of the Ma family was held at the Shenzhen Art Museum, concurrent with the publication of a major art album. Currently he is a member of China Artists' Association and is an inaugural member of its Hong Kong chapter, and the Chairman of the Hong Kong chapter of the Chinese Ink Painting Institute Hong Kong. He has been a visiting artist of Shenzhen Fine Art Institute since 2015.