FSA Artist-in-Residence Jennifer Wen Ma presented an artist talk at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art during her 2024 Fall residency in Charleston entitled “Between Spiritual Ideals and Material Realities: Jennifer Wen Ma on Art and Community.” Connecting her current residency to past works in the Holy City (the installation opera “Paradise Interrupted” at the Spoleto Festival {2015} and the exhibition “Cry Joy Park – Gardens of Darkness and Light” at the Halsey {2019}), Ma discussed her daily studio practice of meditative calligraphic drawings which nourish her spirit and quiet her mind.

Ma discusses the influence of Chinese classics such as Book of Rites (Liji), The Analects of Confucius (Lunyu), and Lao Tzu’s The Book of the Way (Tao Te Ching) on her understanding of consistency, longevity, and sustainability, emphasizing personal dedication and community engagement. Exploring themes of paradise, dystopia, and the interplay between spiritual ideals and material realities, informed by her daily contemplative calligraphic drawings. These seldom-exhibited works are vital to her artistic core and broader explorations. Her hour-long discussion concluded with an interactive Q&A session with FSA Executive Director Tyler Rollins and Halsey Institute Curator Katie Hirsch, offering audiences a chance to engage with Ma’s artistic journey and insights firsthand. Her full talk and discussion is documented in the link below.

Photography by Paul Cheney