What's on

Mixed-media

The Fifth China Comprehensive Material Painting Biennale is on at Ningbo Museum of Art located in Ningbo in Zhejiang province, showing the latest developments in mixed-media painting. The first exhibition was held in 2015 to explore new approaches to painting, addressing aesthetic demand for two-dimensional artworks.

Different methods of creation and materials, such as collage, printmaking, lacquer art and frescoes, have been used to introduce a cross-disciplinary approach.

More than 200 works are on display until Dec 8, depicting various social themes such as scientific innovation, poverty elimination, national defense, rural construction, and environmental restoration.

9 am-5 pm, Tuesdays to Fridays, and Sundays; 9 am-8 pm on Saturdays, closed on Mondays. 122 Renmin Lu, Jiangbei district, Ningbo, Zhejiang province. 0574-8764-3222.

Dramatic era

After seeing the photographic images his German contemporary Heinrich Heidersberger created with experimental techniques, French artist Jean Cocteau wrote a letter to him in 1962 in which he said, "Let us admire, even if we don't understand". These words summarize the collective feelings of the audience at Creative Machine, a newly opened exhibition at the Taikang Art Museum in Beijing running until Feb 28.

The show gathers the work of major figures worldwide whose creations show how computer science, digital technology and artificial intelligence have influenced creativity over the past decades. Many are mathematicians and computer scientists who actively engage in art-making.

The exhibition traces the early days of computer-generated images to dazzlingly digital works by artists today — a mirror of the dramatic changes in science, art and society.

10 am-5:30 pm, closed on Mondays. Building 1, No 16 Yard, Jinghui Jie, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-6104-5886.

Relaxing lifestyles

Beyond the Soil, now running at Hanshan Art Museum in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, is an exhibition that exudes the nostalgic feeling of a slow-paced, relaxed lifestyle and, more importantly, examines the changing relations between people and land. Specifically, how much society has gained from soil for development and in what ways we have paid it back, or, in contrast, damaged it.

More than 120 works by 50 artists are on show until Dec 15 to celebrate the vigor of the land and invite discussions on the future of the ecosystem.

Artists collaborated with scientists at the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, based in Nanjing, Jiangsu. Together, they present ways to help the public understand the plight of the land and agriculture.

10 am-6 pm, closed on Mondays. 999 Taihu Dadao, Suzhou New District, Suzhou, Jiangsu province. 0512-6958-0894.

China Daily