Ma Yansong: Architecture and Emotion Rotterdam, Het Nieuwe Instituut architect exhibition, Dutch design photos

Ma Yansong: Architecture and Emotion, Rotterdam

14 June 2025

Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

MAD Solo Exhibition “Ma Yansong: Architecture and Emotion” Opens at Nieuwe Instituut in the Netherlands

June 13, 2025, Los Angeles – “Ma Yansong: Architecture and Emotion” opened on May 16, 2025, at the Nieuwe Instituut in the Netherlands. The Nieuwe Instituut is the Netherlands’ national museum for architecture, design, and digital culture, dedicated to exploring the potential of new ideas through exhibitions, research, and public programs.

This exhibition marks MAD’s first solo show in the Netherlands. Led by Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, and Yosuke Hayano, MAD presents the exhibition as a joint initiative with the Nieuwe Instituut. It is curated by Aric Chen, General and Artistic Director of the Nieuwe Instituut, together with Tijn van de Wijdeven and Emily Wijns.

Founded in 2004, MAD is committed to rethinking the relationship between people, nature, and the built environment, continually pushing the boundaries of contemporary architecture. MAD’s work goes beyond functionality, seeking to create deeply resonant experiences and emotional connections through spatial design.

photo : Demone

Ma Yansong: Architecture and Emotion – Het Nieuwe Instituut exhibition

Exhibition View

“The exhibition approaches MAD’s practice from multiple perspectives—from critiques of modernism and globalization to explorations of its design language; from domestic living and art installations to large-scale cultural and commercial projects—bringing viewers closer to the ideas and working methods of Ma Yansong and MAD,” said Aric Chen, General and Artistic Director of the Nieuwe Instituut. “Through spatial presentations of architectural models, art, and multimedia, visitors will experience how MAD uses architecture to evoke emotion and respond to the environment.”

Ma Yansong added, “We hope this exhibition brings viewers closer to MAD and offers insight into our work. Through imagination, we’ve always sought to breathe new life and vitality into cities and architecture, encouraging people to re-examine their relationship with nature, time, and the world.”

photo : Demone

The exhibition is structured around seven chapters, each anchored by a defining moment in MAD’s architectural practice and research:

• MAD in China
• Absolute Towers
• Shanshui City
• Embodied Nature
• Layered Futures
• Connective Landscapes
• MAD People

Through an in-depth study of 27 architectural and artistic works, the curators trace the evolution of MAD’s design philosophy and the layered conceptual ideas that have shaped its development.

photo : Demone

The first chapter, MAD in China, presents seven early projects and publications—including Fish Tank, MAD Dinner, Beijing 2050, Floating Island: World Trade Center Reconstruction Proposal, 800-Meter Tower, Superstar: A Mobile China Town, and Feelings Are Facts. Together, these works reflect MAD’s bold and imaginative responses to the complex realities of urban development.

The second chapter, Absolute Towers, focuses on the landmark project initiated in 2005 and completed in 2012. The project marked MAD as the first Chinese architecture studio to win an international competition for a major building outside of China.

The third chapter, Shanshui City, traces the origin and evolution of MAD’s core design philosophy inspired by traditional Chinese landscape painting. Through projects such as Chaoyang Park Plaza, Guiyang Shanshui City Research, and UNIC in Paris, the exhibition illustrates how MAD translates the poetic sensibility of shanshui into contemporary architecture—creating new spatial forms where nature and city coexist.

photo : Demone

The fourth chapter, Embodied Nature, features six projects—Zuidas Complex in Amsterdam, Cloudscape of Haikou, Urban Mirage, Ordos Museum, Quzhou Stadium, and Shenzhen Bay Culture Park. Together, these works explore how MAD defines and reimagines the boundary between nature and the built environment within urban and architectural contexts.

The fifth chapter, Layered Future, presents five projects: The Ark (an adaptive reuse of a 10,000m² warehouse at Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Cement Plant), Clover House in Japan, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Harbin Opera House, and the Fenix Museum in Rotterdam.

These works reflect MAD’s expansive imagination grounded in humanistic values, each conceived within a distinct temporal and urban context. The chapter also includes an animated presentation illustrating MAD’s multidimensional yet flattened project discussions conducted through WeChat.

photo : Ossip van Duivenbode

The sixth chapter, Connective Landscapes, presents five projects: One River North in Denver, Baiziwan Social Housing, Jiaxing Train Station, Lecheng Courtyard Kindergarten, and the Tunnel of Light in Japan. These works demonstrate how MAD’s architecture weaves together nature, urban infrastructure, community, and broader social concerns.

The final chapter, MAD People, offers a video portrait of the studio’s internal culture, highlighting the diverse backgrounds of its team and the role of cross-cultural interpretation in fostering an open, dynamic, and collaborative environment.

An interactive area allows visitors to use AR technology to upload their own sketches and transform them into spatial, volumetric designs, offering a firsthand experience of the fluidity of MAD’s approach.

photo : Demone

The exhibition is on view through October 12, 2025.

MAD Architects Exhibition at the Het Nieuwe Instituut

Ma Yansong: Architecture and Emotion
Duration: May 17 – October 12, 2025

Curators: Aric Chen, Tijn van de Wijdeven, Emily Wijns
Assistant Curator: Susanna Olmi

Spatial Design and Curatorial Collaborators: MAD Architects
Artistic Lead: MA Yansong, DANG Qun, Yosuke HAYANO
Exhibition Team: Fiona Ql Ziying, SONG Jia, HUANG Juntao, Li Ran, JIANG Yunyao, Valentina OLIVIERI, HE Linxi, Tammy XIE Xiaozhang, LIU Danyang, WANG Manwei, ZHU Yuanlong

photo : Ossip van Duivenbode

Graphic Concept & Design: Joris Kritis with / met Emil Kowalczyk
Head of Programme: Flora van Gaalen
Production: Thomas Tawanda Orbon, Christie Bakker
Technical Production: Peer Thielen
Communications: Moetoesingi Schmidt, Petra van der Ree, Robin van Essel, Jaap Stronks, Keesje Heldoorn, Jessica Dohmen-Verboom, Qi Lin Braat
Technical Support: Bart Smits, Stefan Prins, Robin Menheere, Richard Blokdijk, Joe Ziemba
Co-Learning: Linde Dorenbosch, Pia Canales, Joëlle Hoogendoorn, Tony Santos
Fundraising: Jacob de Munnik, Saskia Derksen
Art Direction Advisor: Maureen Mooren
Commissioned Work: Aimée Theriot i.c.w / m.m.v Federica Notari
Copy Editing: Jane Szita, Alexandra Onderwater
Dutch Translation: Floris Dogterom
AI-Developers: Casper Wortmann & Thomas Groenewegen
Exhibition Construction: Bouwko Landstra & team, Antje Verstrate
Light Design: 50LUX
Graphic Production: SWOON sign & visual
Sponsors: Stichting Droom en Daad, Van Leeuwen Van Lignac Stichting, Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot, Abe Bonnema Stichting, Elise Mathilde fonds
Photographers: Demone, Arch Exist, Ossip van Duivenbode

The Nieuwe Instituut

Located in Rotterdam, the Nieuwe Instituut is dedicated to shaping a better future through the exploration of ideas from the past, present, and future. Its exhibitions, public programs, research, and activities invite visitors of all ages to ask questions, rethink assumptions, and contribute to dialogue. As a testing ground for collaboration among leading designers, thinkers, and diverse audiences, the institute critically engages with the urgent challenges of our time.

MAD Architects · 7-8F, Tower A, 107 Dongsibei Street, Dongcheng District · Beijing, Beijing 100007 · USA

Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

MAD Architects