The wild and vital grasslands of China's steppes, their nomadic horsemen and noble steeds inspire painter Sha Jin. Works by other well-known artists are exhibited at Liu Haisu Art Museum, writes Weng Shihui.Artist Sha Jin has a deep affection for the wild and natural spirit of the nomads and China's great grasslands of Inner Mongolia. He brings their way of life to aesthetic life in more than 30 canvases.Sha, from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, presents his latest oil painting series, "Spring Outing," in an exhibition at Liu Haisu Art Museum from tomorrow. Around 130 oil paintings by other distinguished artists will also be on display. They include Chen Danqing's paintings created during his stay in the United States and the works of Ma Hong who paints rural landscapes."Spring is regarded as a season of vitality and liveliness," says Sha, who was born in Inner Mongolia. "Although I was not born on the grassland, I always yearn for the lives of the horsemen."Sha has developed his own artistic language, combining expressionism, cubism and religious frescoes. The result is innovative: Horses and dunes from the vast grassland are presented in bright colors using avant-garde techniques, giving a fresh take on the great steppes.Many look like ancient paintings, some featuring a traditional horseman shooting over his shoulder with a bow and arrow.In Inner Mongolia, more than 20 percent of the population are still nomadic herders. Fascinated by the "nomadic spirit," Sha put the nomadic way of life, the horsemen, horses, sheep and yaks at the center of his art.He treats his theme with an artistic freedom evocative of the vast Inner Mongolian landscape. He spent a whole winter with the horsemen on the prairies during the 1990s, when horses were the main or only form of transport. The experience was inspirational.It was December and Sha lived with local horsemen and slept in a tent on the grassland; he stayed for several months."You will never know the weight of life unless you actually 'live' it," says Sha. He explores the relationship between the nomad and nature - harmonious, but sometimes conflicted.Every day in the cold wind, he painted the daily life that makes the Mongolian ethnic group unique."Sometimes the palette froze in the low temperature; I had to use knives and press the color on canvas," the artist recalls. "It was a hard time which I treasure very much."In 1995, Sha flew from the grasslands to Tokyo in an artists' exchange program, and lived there for four years. It was a turning point in his art life. Living in the vibrant and open city, Sha experienced the cultural wave from developed countries and say the results of East-West cultural collision. "This is what China is going to experience for the next few years," he says.Sha entered a period of self-exploration. "What makes you different? What makes you unique?" Sha always asks himself. "The point is to find our own cultural elements, not just superficially - every artist should find his own cultural roots."He came back to his beloved grasslands in 2000 and began creating the "Spring Outing" series. Horsemen and their horses, sometimes galloping and rearing, are his favorite subject. Recently, Sha has been painting landscapes of the mountains as well as grasslands of Inner Mongolia. "My 'Spring Outing' theme will continue, as my life continues," he says.The exhibition opens on October 27-November 1 (closed on Monday) at 1660 Hongqiao Rd Shanghai.