About
Yijia Ma is an interdisciplinary artist currently studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her practice centers on exploring and imagining unknown creatures as reflections of her inner landscape—psychological, emotional, and instinctive. Working primarily with materials such as TPU, 3D printing, metal, and wood, she constructs hybrid forms that merge the living and the artificial, the delicate and the industrial. Influenced by biology, dream, and personal memory, Yijia envisions her sculptures as entities that exist somewhere between growth and decay. Her works often appear alive—curious, tender, and slightly uncanny—embodying her fascination with transformation, adaptation, and mutation. Through sculpture and installation, she builds immersive environments where imagined species become metaphors for human vulnerability and resilience. Ultimately, her creations invite viewers to sense the blurred boundaries between imagination and materiality, suggesting that even fabricated life can mirror the complexity of our own emotional worlds.
Practice
I work primarily through sculpture and installation, combining welded steel, TPU, wood, and 3D-printed components. I move between digital fabrication and hand-built processes, using materials with contrasting physical properties to construct hybrid forms. Recently, I have expanded my practice into printmaking and ceramics while continuing to develop my skills in metal fabrication, foundry processes, mold making, and metal casting.
Currently working on
I’m currently expanding my practice through ceramics, exploring both hand-building and wheel throwing. I’m interested in bringing these techniques into my future sculptural work. At the same time, I’m developing sketches and concepts for a new series of metal sculptures, which I hope to realize in the coming academic year.
Inspiration
My inspirations have evolved alongside my practice. Early on, my work was rooted in personal emotions and psychological journeys, using sculpture as a way to process inner experiences. Over time, my fascination expanded toward biology and the natural world. I became increasingly interested in integrating plants, animals, and organic systems into my work, imagining unfamiliar life forms that blur the boundaries between nature and fiction. More recently, I’ve found inspiration in everyday moments and ordinary observations, exploring how small experiences can be transformed into sculptural ideas.
Upcoming shows & projects
I don’t have any upcoming exhibitions at the moment, but I’m currently developing ideas for a new series of metal installations. The project is still in its conceptual stage, with sketches and preliminary designs in progress, and I’m looking forward to bringing it to life over the coming year while continuing to seek opportunities to share my work.
Favorite spot in Chicago
avec River North
