Today we’d like to introduce you to Yi-Hsuan (Ant) Ma.
Hi Yi-Hsuan (Ant), thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
With a visual art practice that encompasses interdisciplinary approaches to scenic design informed by historical contexts, abstraction, and literature, I have designed extensively across Taiwan and the United States. My work explores the relationship between characters and the environment, immersing the audience and inviting their participation in storytelling. My set design works have appeared in Off-Broadway productions and in different forms of live performances, including the site-specific, immersive theater and events of “The Walk.”- Sponsored by the Amal Fund, “The Walk” is a parade procession that has been staged in cities, towns, and villages around the world, featuring “Little Alma,” a 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee child serving as a global symbol of human
rights.
I was awarded a Taiwanese Government Fellowship and a Tisch School of Art scholarship at New York University. Luckily, my theatrical installation work ”Samuel” has been nominated for a Henry Hewes Design Award for Notable Effects. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Literature from National Taiwan University; and an MFA in Theater Design from New York University and am a proud member of Local USA829, IASTE. This fall, I started teaching introductory and advanced classes in Scenic Design in the Department of Drama and Dance at the University of Virginia.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think being an international and immigrant artist in the US is always not an easy thing, especially in the Theater and Film industry. How could we convey our ideas in a non-native language and background culture? It’s a very challenging but exciting assignment in my daily life. I always share a quote from the playwright with my students, MARÍA IRENE FORNÉS “I never teach you how to write. I teach you how to transport yourself to the world.” I thought it was beautiful. We are all trying to share our beliefs and open conversations. I wish I could be someone who is never afraid to ask questions and leave them unsolved.
Being an educator, I remind myself to always be curious and kind to the world. If you stop feeling, how could you develop an attachment to society? Art and politic is connected tightly and influence each other. Learning how to be soft but sturdy is a long process and never ends.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a storyteller, educator, and visual artist for set design and production design. I have a series of photographs I shot from April to June 2020, right after the pandemic strike and exploded in New York City. I’m horned that this series was contributed to Rockwell Architecture and is displayed at the Hotel Civilian gallery, newly opened in 2022. I’ve always been a fan of black and white film photography, also developing those films in my tiny bathroom with pungent chemistry with a timer. Those photos are the records of how the city becomes panicked, responds, and eventually survives. The shadow and light are gradually fighting themselves, and humans are finding their positions. We reflect on all the tiny fractions and embrace the shining. I would really love to tell a story through my camera window/eyes. I would like to share as much as I can and achieve justice in their own ways. Art is ephemeral but never disappears.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I’m originally from Taiwan and was born in Hualien (east coast of Taiwan). I always enjoy nature and feel the mountain is my hometown, especially having a performance in the forest — I am excited to build an environment where the audience will immerse in the storytelling and deliver the message of the unique magic from the site-specific performance!
And I LOVE boba milk tea in Taiwan!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ant-setdesign.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ant_horsema/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ant.ma.73
Image Credits
As you like it @Catskill Mountain Shakespeare/ photo by Rich Wade / You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown @ Weston Theater Company/ photo by Hubert Schriebel Right to be forgotten @ American Theater Group
