‘Ma Yansong: Architecture and Emotion’ Opens at Nieuwe Instituut

Summary

• Nieuwe Instituut has opened the “Ma Yansong: Architecture and Emotion” exhibition in Rotterdam
• The exhibition offers a deep dive into Ma Yansong’s impact on global architecture as well as MAD’s’ evolution from their early projects

Rotterdam’s Nieuwe Instituut has unveiled Ma Yansong: Architecture and Emotion, an extensive exhibition showcasing the visionary work of Chinese architect Ma Yansong and his firm, MAD Architects. Through dynamic models, multimedia installations, and artistic interpretations, the exhibition explores Ma’s architectural evolution, from early experimental designs to the fluid, organic forms that define his work today.

The exhibition begins with MAD’s early years in China during the 2000s, a time of rapid urban development and architectural speculation. Visitors are introduced to his first imaginative projects, including a canopy concept for the former World Trade Center site, the 800 Metre Tower and a fish-perspective aquarium, each challenging conventional architectural norms. Moving into the early 2010s, the exhibition highlights Ma’s shift toward shanshui (“mountain-water”), a philosophical concept rooted in traditional Chinese painting. The Embodied Nature section further explores MAD’s integration of natural elements, demonstrating how landscape, symbolism and emotion shape their architectural language.

MAD’s work, often labeled futuristic, is revealed as an effort to reconcile past and future through organic forms. Designs such as the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (currently under construction in Los Angeles) and Rotterdam’s new Fenix Museum showcase Ma’s preference for hand-drawn sketches over digital generation, thus reinforcing the human connection in architectural creation. A particularly engaging feature of the exhibition allows visitors to interact with an AI-driven installation, transforming their sketches into MAD-style designs, echoing Ma’s well-known Tornado sketch for Fenix.

Highlighting the significance of the exhibition, Aric Chen, General and Artistic Director of the Nieuwe Instituut, states, “In an astonishingly short period, China produced some of the world’s most influential and groundbreaking architecture, and now that work is making its mark around the world. Ma Yansong and MAD are at the forefront of this. We are proud to present their first solo museum exhibition outside China in over a decade, offering deeper insight into the work of this increasingly global firm.”

Originally scheduled for a shorter run, the exhibition has now been extended until October 12, 2025. Visitors also have the opportunity to hear directly from Ma Yansong, as he will discuss his design philosophy in person at the museum’s “An Evening With…” event on June 26.

Nieuwe Instituut
Museumpark 25, 3015 EK
Rotterdam, Netherlands