MAD Architects founder Ma Yansong has unveiled two new art installations across China for the summer. Together, they reinforce the firm’s multifaceted portfolio and approach to art and design. 

As part of “Art at Fuliang 2021”, an art festival in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen, Yansong presents “Light”. The festival aims to highlight the character and charm of Hanxi Village in Fuliang County. The region is defined by its porcelain industry, abundant water, and vast tea fields, which have shaped its landscape. 

“Light” appears to gently float above rolling tea fields. It is meant to be a medium for connecting to nature as it responds and adapts to changing settings. The piece can appear like a cloud in light and darkness, become translucent, glow, or meld with passing fog. 

The second work was an exhibition design for “Forma Fantasia”, an installation by artist Liu Wei as part of an exhibition called Nine-Tiered Pagoda – Spatial and Visual Magic. The showcase presents the work of nine cross-disciplinary groups of artists, architects, and graphic designers at the Pingshan Art Museum in Shenzhen. 

For “Forma Fantasia”, Ma united Liu Wei’s scattered abstract shapes within a near pitch-black room that is faintly illuminated by a narrow light along the dimensions of the room. The lights are intended to heighten emotions and sensations, building on MAD’s anti-material approach that prioritizes spatial feeling over structural expression. Nine-Tiered Pagoda – Spatial and Visual Magic is on view through October. 

“Light” and “Forma Fantasia” reflect Ma’s belief in the power of artistic intervention and historic revitalization to reinvigorate communities, building on previous works, including “Hutong Bubbles” and “Tunnel of Light”. For the latter, Ma transformed the Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel, a historic 750-meter passageway in Japan’s Niigata prefecture, as part of the 2018 Echigo-Tsumari Trienniale. Located in an area experiencing population decline, the project intended to reconnect residents with the beauty of the surrounding landscape. Therefore, Ma created five spaces within the tunnel, drawing on the five elements of nature: wood, earth, metal, fire, and water, altogether inviting relaxation, contemplation, and introspection.