Art beat (March 15-30)

Beijing:

Calm in countryside

Brooks, valleys, little cowboys and mountains misted in fog - all these images of a tranquil village can be found in Jia Tao's oil paintings.

Jia's works focus on the natural face of the countryside, a stark contrast to the clamor of city life. His 30 oil paintings on display reflect the tranquility and leisure of the countryside.

A sense of melancholy and solitude runs though Jia's works, as he tries to sketch out the true face of country life with simple, warm colors.

10 am-4 pm, March 17-26, Beijng Wan Fung Art Gallery, 35-37 Guanyintang Art Avenue, Wangsiying No 2 A, Chaoyang district, 010-65233319.

Visions in watercolors

Three watercolor artists from the northern part of China bring 120 pieces to show a mix of Eastern and Western arts. Guan Weixing, Zhang Kerang and Zhang Xiangde each boast a distinct style of watercolor painting. Guan focuses on portraits, Zhang Kerang depicts residential houses while Zhang Xiangde concentrates on the landscape of Northern China. It's the seventh year the three artists have held a show together.

9 am-5 pm, March 15-23. National Art Museum of China, 1 Wusi Street, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-8403-3500.

Faces we know

Photographer Steve Zhao uses his camera "to show the world a different view of China than is seen on television or in the news". Zhao's People to People show, organized by the EU delegation in China, features comparative portraits of daily life in both China and Europe.

10 am-6 pm, until March 26.

Meilidao Art Institution, 77 Building 6, 22 Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang district,

Beijing. 010-5826-3255.

Shanghai:

Audio-visual art

Ellen Zweig has been active since the mid-1980s, creating audio, video and installations. Her works will be presented in the show, Wind and Sound: Selected Works by American Artist Ellen Zweig. There will also be a special preview screening of Heart Beat Ear Drum, a film about Zweig, followed by Q&A with the artist.

2:30 pm, March 16. Fei Contemporary Art Center, 2F, Building 40, 709 Lingshi Road, Shanghai. 021-6630-7268.

Social sculpture

Art critic Zhu Qingsheng will give a lecture about Joseph Beuys (1921-86) and his legacy in the contemporary art scene. Beuys was a German artist whose works were grounded in concepts of humanism, social philosophy and anthroposophy. He created the term "Social Sculpture" to illustrate his idea of art's potential to transform society.

10 am, March 16. Power Station of Art, 200 Huayuangang Road, Shanghai.

021-3110-8550.