Xiaodong Ma
"Chicago-based Industrial designer and visual artist Xiaodong Ma was born in Nanjing, China, in 1991. After receiving his MFA from the California College of the Arts in 2019, he has been exploring the intersection between art and design for years with an unwavering obsession with the simplicity and intricacy of nature and man-made. Xiaodong's work revolves around transforming everyday objects, mediums, and processes into resonant works of art by exploring 2D/3D forms and textures. By reimagining the familiar and inviting audiences to reconsider the ordinary with fresh eyes, Xiaodong is committed to pushing the boundaries of visual art through his works. Xiaodong Ma is not only a Senior Designer at SRAM, Road team but also a visual artist who dares to explore. His story is a journey of cross-cultural understanding, innovative exploration, and self-discovery.
In the interplay between dimensions, Xiaodong Ma found his canvas for exploration. The art practice of translation between 2D and 3D is fertile ground for experimenting with unknown outcomes, challenging viewers to see and experience familiar forms in unexpected ways. Through his work, Xiaodong Ma endeavors to bridge (or break) the perceived gap between 2d and 3d of everyday objects, mediums, and processes. This dynamic experiment between dimensions serves as the cornerstone of his artistic expression, igniting a continuous dialogue between the tangible and the abstract. Xiaodong Ma has made significant contributions in both industrial design and visual art. His design and art works have won numerous international design awards, including the MUSE Design Award Platinum, IF Product Design Award, A’Design Award, IDA Design Award, and Red Dot Design Award. Additionally, his visual art works have been widely exhibited and recognized internationally, with exhibitions in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, South Korea, and Germany."
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Instagram: xiaodongma_design
Re-formation: Image-Object-Image, 26in x 43 in, Mixed Media, 2020
" By questioning the boundaries of 2D and 3D, Re-formation series was created to explore the transition between dimensions. I chose everyday objects and unfamiliarized them by recombining, such that they became drawing tools. Each cycle of the drawings and drawing tools evolved together and invited audiences to reimagine familiarity."
Re-formation: Shadow Evolution, 22in x 43in, Paper, 2019
" By questioning the boundaries of 2D and 3D, Re-formation series was created to explore the transition between dimensions. I reassembled the paper forms and captured the evolving relationship between the bodies and shadows, such that they kept regenerating a series of drawings of black and white, positive, and negative."
Re-formation: Color Texture of Music, 26in x 19in, Phosphor, 2021
" By questioning the boundaries of 2D and 3D, Re-formation series was created to explore the transition between dimensions. I put phosphor on the speaker platform in blacklight environment, such that the phosphor represented the rich layers of colors and textures with the rhythm of the music."
Repairing Society: A Nostalgia Future, 40in x 25in, Mixed Media, 2019
" Repairing Society is a speculative design practice inviting us to imagine an alternative way of consumption and production that is opposed to our current Throw-away Society. Through three proposals in this project (Repair, Graft, Autotomy), we can keep a longer relationship with objects and revive our bonds with old things."
2e-: Copper Electrolysis Collection, 50in x 26.5in, Copper, 2018
" Compared to traditional copper recycling, 2e- proposed an alternative solution that is more aesthetic and eco-friendlier. I collected scrap copper and converted it into copper crystal jewelry through electrolysis. The basic principle of crystal growing is to electrolyze a solution of sulfate with two copper electrodes. In this process, the anode (+) acts as a donor, and cathode (-) acts as a receiver. The copper molecules are separated from the scrap copper (+) and aggregated on the negative copper part which gradually forms coral-like copper crystals."