Whispers of creatures

Ink artist Yu Fei'an (1889-1959) was born into a well-connected family with an extensive collection of classical art and ancient texts, which nourished his mind and soul from childhood, and prompted him to commit to the ink art tradition. Yu developed a keen interest in the paintings of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), known for their vivid detail and elegant colors, and specialized in the flower-and-bird genre, which he was able to render in the Song style. Yu's mastery at portraying nature advanced with his enthusiasm for growing fruits, vegetables and plants, and feeding fishes and birds. His lifestyle allowed him to make close, intimate observations of life, and his landscape paintings on display demonstrate an alternative understanding of nature.

Listening to the Whisper in Silence, an ongoing exhibition in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, is a display of ink paintings from the collection of Beijing Fine Art Academy, where Yu was deputy director in the 1950s. The show is being held at the He Xiangning Art Museum until Aug 4.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 9013 Shennan Dadao, Nanshan district, Shenzhen, Guangdong province.0755-2660-4540.

Bell ring echoes

Hailing from Guangdong province, the great ink artist Guan Shanyue (1912-2000) stood in awe of the magnificent wild landscapes of northwestern China, which are quite unlike those of southern China.

He first visited the region in the early 1940s, when the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) forced many to flee to southwestern China. Among the refugees were artists who journeyed even further westward to areas inhabited by a variety of ethnic groups, where they captured enthralling landscapes and cultures. Great Bells Beyond the Great Wall, a long-term exhibition ongoing at the Xinjiang Art Museum, in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, reviews Guan's westward voyage, during which he painted the northwest and its people, and copied the murals at the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Gansu province.

The exhibition was originally mounted in 2020 by the Guan Shanyue Art Museum in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in collaboration with the Dunhuang Academy. The current exhibition in Urumqi also includes paintings Guan made of Xinjiang during his visits in the 1970s.

11 am-6:30 pm, closed on Mondays.167 Youhao Beilu, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. 0991-5515-752.

Art and value

Absence and Encore, a show now underway at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Yinchuan in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, investigates the complicated relationship between those who make art, and those who purchase it. Gathering dozens of artworks by 62 figures from the contemporary art scene, the exhibition explores the qualities that not only impress viewers, but also lead some of them to purchase pieces, and lend their collections to exhibitions.

The show raises the questions of how a link between art, artists and collectors is created, and how this connection can be maintained in a healthy manner to promote the creation of art and bring fine work to the attention of a wider group of people. The exhibition runs until July 3.

10 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays.12 Hele Lu, Xingqing district, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. 0951-8426-111.