Jennifer Wen Ma’s interdisciplinary practice bridges varied media such as installation, video, drawing, performance, public art, and fashion design; often combining unlikely elements in a single piece, creating sensitive, poetic, and poignant works. In 2008, Ma was one of seven on the core creative team for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, and chief designer for visual and special effects. She works and lives between New York and Beijing.
Jennifer Wen Ma was born in 1973 in Beijing, China, moved to the United State in 1986, and received her Master of Fine Art degree in 1999 from Pratt Institute, New York. She works and lives between New York and Beijing. Ma’s interdisciplinary practice bridges varied media such as installation, video, drawing, performance, public art, and fashion design; often bringing together unlikely elements in a single piece, creating sensitive, poetic and poignant works.
Recent projects include: a new commission at Vancouver Art Gallery, Nonuments, 5×5 Project, Washington DC, 2014, Isle of Enchantment, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 2013; permanent public lighting installation for the National Aquatic Center, aka The Water Cube, Beijing, 2013; project for Performa 13, New York. Notable solo exhibitions include Hanart Square, Hong Kong, 2013; Ullens Center For Contemporary Art, Beijing, 2012; Eslite Gallery, Taipei; Art Space NIJI in Kyoto, Japan; and The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, 2009. In 2011, Ma was the Artistic Director for The Republic of China Centennial Grand Countdown, Taipei, 2010. She participated in Lingua Franca for St. Moritz Art Masters, the 2010 Biennale of Sydney, and the 2009 Echigo-Tsumari Triennial, Niigata. Group exhibitions include Guggenheim Bilbao, 2009; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 2008; and the National Art Museum of China, 2008. Permanent public installations include works for the city of Colle di Val d’Elsa, Italy, 2005; the Digital Beijing Building, 2008; and Nature and Man in Rhapsody of Light at The National Aquatic Center, Beijing, China 2013, among others. Ma’s first major monograph was published in 2013 by Charta, distributed by DAP.
Ma’s interdisciplinary practice bridges varied media such as installation, video, drawing, performance, public art, and fashion design; often bringing together unlikely elements in a single piece, creating sensitive, poetic and poignant works.
In 2008, Ma was one of the seven members on the core creative team for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, and the chief designer for visual and special effects. She won an Emmy for the US broadcast of the ceremony.
Upcoming projects include public art for Market Square, Pittsburgh, and the 2015 world premiere of installation opera Paradise Interrupted commissioned by Spoleto USA Festival and Lincoln Center Festival, with a preview presentation held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Temple of Dendur in March 2015.
Visiting Artist Jennifer Wen Ma: “Event Production & Planning Arts and Cultural Management”
November 11, 2015
12:40-2:30 PM
Studio 60, Auditorium
Open to all MSU students and faculty
Photo by Joe Goldman
