Colorful wind
Having grown up in Changchun, Jilin province, oil artist Wang Jianguo centers his work around the distinctive landscapes and social life of northeastern China. His semi-figurative and semiabstract style transmits feelings of nostalgia, peace and poetry. An ongoing solo exhibition at the Yunnan Art Museum, Soft Wind on the Earth, brings dozens of Wang's oils to Kunming, in which he introduces people in the southwest to the changing views of the northeast through the four seasons, including expanses of farmland stretching for miles, villagers at work, and the snowcapped peaks of Changbai Mountain. Wang has a particular focus on Changchun, the city of his childhood memories, as well as the many industrial sites that are no longer in use, reminding visitors of the region's history. Zhang Lujiang, an oil painter and a close friend, says behind every shade and stroke lies a deep attachment to Wang's hometown, which nurtures Wang's life and art, as well as his hope of doing justice to the region by making its beauty known to more people. The exhibition ends on Jan 7.
9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 118 Wuyi Lu, Wuhua district, Kunming, Yunnan province. 0871-6316-3665.
Dream moments
In the early 20th century, Qi Baishi set out from his native Hunan province on several extensive journeys across the country in search of artistic inspiration. Between 1906 and 1909, he traveled to Guangdong province and Hong Kong on four occasions, and was impressed by the region's flora and folk customs, which he found different to those in Hunan. Later, moving to Beijing in search of better career opportunities, he was supported by friends from Guangdong who wrote articles about his work and introduced it to other members of the city's art circles. The connection between the artist and Guangdong is marked in Moment of Fantasy, an exhibition running at the Shenzhen Art Museum until Dec 23. Drawing on pieces from the collection of the Beijing Fine Art Academy, it centers on Qi's reforms to Chinese painting and how his experiences in Guangdong influenced his work.
10 am-6 pm, closed on Mondays. 32 Donghu Yijie, Donghu Park, Aiguo Lu, Luohu district, Shenzhen, Guangdong province. 0755-2542-6069.
