Paintings on show explore symbiosis of self and nature

Yu Youhan, one of the most influential artists in the contemporary Chinese art scene, has explored abstraction for four decades. The 77-year-old Shanghai native conveys a sense of increasing pleasure in his works, as he ages and further investigates the Chinese cultural identity.

Circle· Freedom, Yu's solo exhibition running at ShanghART Beijing through Sept 30, shows a dozen of his paintings created over the past decade.

Yu builds a distinguished pictorial vocabulary consisting of lines, dots and forms, revolving around the mysteries of the circle of life and the dynamic relationship between humans and nature.