[Photo provided to China Daily]

Zhan Jianjun, an oil painter and Yu's mentor when she was a student at CAFA, says her work reveals her keen, delicate observations and deep concerns for society, even as her skilled, expressive brushwork delights fans.

Yu says that both the optimistic and pessimistic sides of society are reflected in her work. "The core of creation can't be taught. It is something one is born with or learns from life.

"The world has changed fast. But if one is detached from the changes your work lacks depth," she says.

Contact the writer at linqi@chinadaily.com.cn

If you go

9:30 am-5:30 pm, closed on Mondays, through Sunday. Art Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, 8 Huajiadi Nan Jie, Wangjing, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-6477-1575.