Ahead of Fenix opening, Rotterdam exhibition to explore MAD and Ma Yansong

The Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam is set to open a new exhibition on MAD Architects and its founder Ma Yansong. Titled Ma Yansong: Architecture and Emotion, the exhibition will highlight two decades of design by the firm, alongside upcoming projects such as the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

Opening on May 17th, the exhibition will contain models, videos, and installations of the firm's work. In particular, the exhibition is timed to coincide with the opening of Fenix, the new art museum in Rotterdam designed by MAD Architects.

“In a remarkably short time, China has produced some of the most compelling and consequential architecture in the world, and Ma Yansong and MAD have been right there at the forefront,” curator and Nieuwe Instituut General and Artistic Director Aric Chen said of the exhibition. “We’re delighted to present his first solo museum exhibition outside China in more than ten years, lending further insight into the work of this increasingly global studio.”

In late 2022, Archinect interviewed Yansong on his approach to architecture and design. “I believe we can create spiritual moments in modern architecture, but it is absolutely lacking now,” Yansong told us.