The lives of artists in Songzhuang (3)

His abstract paintings reference Chinese calligraphy and the sandstorms of Ningxia, where he grew up. His unique mix of paint and inks results in some impressively delicate and organic textures expressed upon bold forms over boldly blank backdrops. He looks like he could be one of Songzhuang's talented starving artists.

"He's not outgoing so he can't make himself known to the public," commented his daughter, Wang Ge, who often speaks on his behalf. She believes that because her father is hard of hearing it's even more difficult for him to sell himself; it's true that people sometimes have trouble deciphering his meaning.

To make matters worse, Yu Fu's past manager appeared to be completely inadequate at promoting his work. "That manager didn't support this kind of art so much," complained Wang. "The manager wanted to deal with big markets and because there's not a lot of art in this style, he didn't want to support him."

Yu knows his work isn't mainstream, describing it as "not elegant" or even "crude." He may be victim of an inattentive market, but it doesn't seem to weigh on him. Remarkably, he claims to have no idea how much his paintings are worth. "Someone else can sell the work. I don't do that. I never think about the price. I just paint. Nothing else."

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