What's on

Master's teens

The late artist Huang Yongyu left his native town in Fenghuang, Hunan province, in 1937, and reached Xiamen, Fujian province, to attend Jimei Middle School, where his uncle taught. He often skipped classes and indulged himself in reading at the school library. He lived in southern Fujian for years which provided him a temporary shelter during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).Huang wrote down his recollections of this period of time on an ink painting he made for an exhibition of his woodcuts in Xiamen, that opened on June 10. He passed away three days later. Forceful Cuts, now running at the Art Museum of China Profiles, through to Sept 17, shows Huang's endeavors in woodcut art. The form was the first art genre Huang picked up to support himself when he had a dream to become a professional artist. His woodcuts embody a keen assessment of human nature, with wit and humor. The exhibition was first presented by the Beijing Fine Art Academy at its art museum in 2020, and it then toured Shanghai and Jiangsu province. Huang once said he lived every day in the same serious way as he worked on wood, "paying great attention to every cut and fearing making mistakes".

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays.66 Shapowei, Daxue Road, Siming district, Xiamen, Fujian province.

Art into soul

Xu Li and Andrey Kovalchuk both juggle with several roles: artist, administrator of a national association and cultural ambassador. The two are presenting an exhibition at Shanghai's New Art Museum, through to July 30. Xu, vice-chairman of the China Artists Association, is showing dozens of his oil paintings in which he has employed the vertical composition of classic landscape painting, delivering a sense of naturalism and extensiveness. Kovalchuk, who chairs the Russian artists association, brings 24 sculptures. The show compares the cultural traditions, aesthetic views and individual concerns of the two cultures.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays.1528 Gumei Road, Shanghai.021-6495-6386.

Eternal glare

The use of raw lacquer to better preserve objects, such as bowls, and meanwhile decorate life can be traced to the Neolithic culture in China. The tradition is especially manifested by unearthed, richly-patterned wares from thousands of years ago in Hubei province, which produces quality raw lacquer. Throughout centuries, up until today, lacquer art has been viewed an integral part of Hubei's cultural heritage. Dozens of fine examples of this art from the collection of Hubei Museum of Art are now on show at World of Lacquer, an exhibition running through to July 30, at the Anhui Art Museum, the first stop of a national tour. The show is a celebration of the modern development of lacquer tradition to display works of artists nowadays, from home and abroad.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays.1 Chengdu Road, Binhu New District, Hefei, Anhui province.0551-6280-6800.

Academy work

More than 240 paintings, prints, sculptures and seal engraving are on show at the gallery of the China National Academy of Painting until July 8, offering a glimpse of the work of academy artists across the country. Held every two years, the Fine Arts Exhibition of Painting Academies of China boosts creation and research, and helps cultivate artists. The eighth edition shows works done in the traditional style and vanguard explorations, by established and upcoming figures in the art circles. The works were previously toured in Shandong province.

9 am-4:30 pm, closed on Mondays.54 Xisanhuan Beilu, Haidian district, Beijing.010-6841-2606.