ABSTRACT paintings by Lu Zhide are on exhibition in Xintiandi's Club One.

Lu as the chairman of the Austria-China Cultural Exchange Centre, has close ties with Austria. Having lived and exhibited in Austria for years, he always tries to facilitate communication between East and West, tradition and modernity.

The 28 exhibits on display are mostly acrylic and mixed media works. One series depicts human eyes looking through chaotic lines and structures. Some of the works show great similarity with the brush movements of traditional Chinese water-ink paintings.

There is also an etching series that depicts old Shanghai scenes in great detail.

The 48-year-old Lu was born in Shanghai. He started to work in shifts as a steam fitter after middle school. He practiced sketching very hard in his spare time and later seized the opportunity to learn painting from then renowned artists such as Liu Danzhai. After training in an art group at a worker's cultural centre, he was recommended for training at the Shanghai Art Publishing House, where he stayed.

He went to Japan in 1988 where he at first made a living by working on a building site. His first show in Japan took place in the exhibition hall of a bank in Tokyo, where seven piece were sold.

His work still sells well now, successfully attracting the interest of art lovers, especially Westerners. "I know what they like," he said. "I completed a series on sex and gender recently, which has not yet been exhibited."

Till December 29

Club One Xintiandi

Lane 181 Taicang Lu

Free admission