Jennifer Wen Ma’s massive “An Inward Sea” installation, which opens on May 13, is part of the New Britain Museum of American Art’s 2020/20+WOMEN initiative celebrating female-identifying artists throughout American history and its NEW/NOW series spotlighting emerging and established contemporary artists.

I recently discussed “An Inward Sea” with Ma prior to its completion. We spoke about content, the artist’s career in overview, and how the pandemic impacted her life and creative practice. Our conversation also touched on the unexpected delay of custom-made elements from China, “bound for the New Britain show,” that were delayed due to blockage of the Suez Canal by a huge container ship, Ever Given, cutting things close for the show’s timely installation.