Nieuwe Instituut hosts Ma Yansong exhibition

HAPPENING 17 May–21 Sep 2025 | Nieuwe Instituut presents an exhibition dedicated to the architectural vision of Ma Yansong and MAD Architects. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore two decades of design through models, video installations and interactive displays.

Ma Yansong exhibition opens at Nieuwe Instituut

A new exhibition titled Ma Yansong. Architectuur en emotie has opened at Nieuwe Instituut, the national museum for architecture, design and digital culture, located in the heart of Rotterdam. The exhibition offers an in-depth look at the vision and methods of Ma Yansong and his global architecture practice, MAD Architects.

The opening of the exhibition coincides with the launch of Fenix, the new museum on migration situated in Rotterdam's Katendrecht district. The building’s rooftop feature, an architectural structure known as the Tornado, was designed by MAD and has drawn attention for its dynamic form.

Recently named one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2025, Ma Yansong is increasingly recognised for designs that respond to emotional and humanistic values, often through the lens of traditional Chinese aesthetics.

The exhibition highlights a selection of projects spanning China, the United States, Canada, Japan, Italy, France and the Netherlands, demonstrating how architecture can intertwine with nature and human emotion.

The showcase will include models, immersive video presentations and interactive installations, aiming to illustrate the philosophy behind MAD’s designs. Visitors will also get a closer look at some of the firm’s unrealised projects, such as the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which was co-founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas.

Connection to Rotterdam’s Fenix museum

The exhibition coincides with the opening of Fenix, Rotterdam’s new museum dedicated to migration, for which MAD Architects designed The Tornado, a striking double-helix staircase. This structure leads visitors from the atrium of the former Fenix warehouse to a rooftop viewing platform, offering panoramic views of the Maas River, the city, and Katendrecht—a district historically known as one of continental Europe’s first Chinatowns.

From modernist critique to fluid forms

The exhibition traces Ma’s journey from his early opposition to modernism’s rigid rationalism, towards his current organic and fluid designs. These reflect an ambition to reconnect architecture with nature, drawing inspiration from shanshui (mountain-water), a concept rooted in classical Chinese landscape painting.

Through physical models, multimedia installations and conceptual artworks, visitors are invited to explore Ma’s evolving vision. This includes speculative proposals such as Floating Island, designed for the former site of New York’s World Trade Center, and the 800 Metre Tower, a critique of height-obsessed urban architecture.

Nature as emotional metaphor

The second part of the exhibition focuses on Ma’s approach to embedding nature within architectural design—not merely as greenery, but as a symbolic and emotional force. The Shenzhen Bay Cultural Park and a proposed concept for Amsterdam’s Zuidas are presented as case studies.

The section titled Embodied nature also features a sound installation by artist Aimée Theriot, unbound echo, which evolves through audience interaction and spatial acoustics.

Past and future in organic dialogue

Although MAD Architects is often associated with futuristic aesthetics, the firm consciously bridges history and modernity. Ma begins each design with hand-drawn sketches—an approach exemplified in the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles and the new Fenix museum in Rotterdam.

The Tornado atop Fenix reflects this interplay, symbolising both arrival and departure, while rooting the future in historic continuity. A dedicated AI installation allows visitors to create their own MAD-style sketches, rendered using the firm’s archival data.

Designing for emotional experience

The final section, Connecting landscapes, centres on the human experience of space. MAD’s projects are designed to evoke emotional responses, encouraging a sense of belonging in urban environments. This principle has been applied in the Baiziwan Social Housing project in Beijing, where communal paths and elevated walkways are used to foster interaction among residents.

A newly released film, Beyond the Wall, by director Weichao Xu—who resides in Baiziwan—is presented here for the first time, offering insight into daily life within MAD-designed spaces.

Aric Chen on MAD’s architectural role

Aric Chen, general and artistic director of Nieuwe Instituut and curator of the exhibition, noted:
“China has produced some of the most influential architectural projects in recent times. Ma Yansong and MAD are key figures in this development. We are pleased to present his first solo museum exhibition outside China in over ten years.”

Ma Yansong in conversation

Ma Yansong will appear on Thursday 26 June at Een avond met…, the institute’s regular talk series featuring influential figures in architecture and digital culture. He will join Aric Chen for a discussion on his philosophy, creative process and the evolution of MAD Architects.

That evening will also mark the launch of Fenix: A Museum as Metaphor, a new publication documenting the transformation of the Fenix warehouse between 2021 and 2025.

Exploring Ma Yansong’s architectural philosophy

Founded in 2004 by Ma Yansong and co-led by Dang Qun and Yosuke Hayano, MAD Architects has developed a distinctive approach to contemporary architecture. The firm integrates modern functionality with organic, fluid designs that establish a connection between people and their environment. With offices in Los Angeles, Rome and Beijing, MAD continues to experiment with the interplay between urban development and nature.

The exhibition will explore Ma’s critique of modernism and globalisation, alongside his aspiration to design spaces that evoke emotional responses.

Nieuwe Instituut hosts Ma Yansong exhibition

Shanshui: tradition meets modernity

While often described as futuristic, Ma’s work is deeply influenced by traditional Chinese philosophy, particularly shanshui (mountain-water), a concept found in classical Chinese landscape painting. Shanshui reimagines urban spaces as environments where modern living is harmonised with nature, fostering a sense of emotional connection between individuals and their surroundings.

A Shanshui City is not simply a green or eco-friendly urban development; it represents an effort to merge tradition with contemporary architecture, creating spaces that prioritise human well-being and interaction with the natural world.

The early years of MAD Architects

The exhibition will also delve into MAD’s formative years during the early 2000s, a period of rapid economic and social change in China. During this time, the firm hosted MAD Dinners, discussions that brought together individuals from various fields to examine the impact of modernisation and reconsider the role of architecture.

These conversations inspired speculative projects such as Floating Island, a proposed canopy for the former World Trade Center site in New York, and a vision for transforming Beijing’s Tiananmen Square into a park. Such projects reflect MAD’s early commitment to rethinking urban spaces and exploring new possibilities in architectural design.

Nieuwe Instituut hosts Ma Yansong exhibition

Connecting people, places and time

MAD’s more recent work focuses on architecture’s ability to connect people with their surroundings and with history. Organised around the themes Embodied Nature, Connective Landscapes, and Layered Futures, the exhibition will present projects that seek to enhance personal experience, repair fragmented urban spaces, and integrate historical elements into future developments.

Among these projects is the Baiziwan Social Housing in Beijing, which promotes walkability and community-building through interconnected spaces. The Quzhou Sports Park, featuring a stadium that blends into the landscape, redefines sports architecture by merging monumental structures with nature. Meanwhile, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles embodies MAD’s biomorphic approach, combining storytelling with sustainable materials and design innovation.

Nieuwe Instituut hosts Ma Yansong exhibition

Directions to Nieuwe Instituut

Nieuwe Instituut is located in the Museumpark, a cultural hub in Rotterdam that also houses the Kunsthal and Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. The venue is easily accessible by public transport, with tram and metro stations nearby. For those arriving by car, parking is available in the vicinity.