City guide (April 15-June 15)

Beijing

Drawn to love

Italian artist Francesco Tortorella holds a show of his illustrations about love. Titled The Greatest (Im)perfection Is Love, his works deal with the need to reveal and at the same time to hide love. Francesco's works linger in a promising quiet that has an inner rhythm, inspired by music and songs. The titles of his drawings play a witty game of words, inspiring people to think more about love.

4 pm-10 pm, until April 15. Zajia Lab, 23 Doufuchi Hutong, Dongcheng district. 010-8404-9141

No tame comedy

TNT Theater Britain will stage Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew in Beijing. The comedy explores the serious subjects of relationships, love and money in a humorous manner. Consistent with TNT Theater's style, the comedy is interwoven with Shakespeare dialogues, jokes and British humor.

7:30 pm, April 18-19. Nine Theater, 17 Jintai Road, Chaoyang district. 010-8599-1188

Shanghai

Painting meets porcelain

Artist Ye Hongxing is presenting her new works under the title of Paradise City. She expresses a unique vision by combining the traditionally Western medium of oil paint together with Chinese porcelain decorative patterns.

11 am-7 pm, Tue-Sun, until May 12. Art+ Shanghai Gallery, 370 Suzhou North Road. 021-5608-6067

Poem reading

Zhai Yongming will read her new poems in the collection titled Between the Lines. Born in 1955, the writer started to publish poetry in 1981. She has won numerous international prizes and is recognized as one of the best women poets of contemporary China.

7 pm, April 20. Minsheng Museum of Modern Art, Building F, 570 Huaihai West Road. 021-6282-8729

Classic collages

British artist Michael Wilkinson is having his debut exhibition in Shanghai. Wilkinson's work is characterized by subtly layered collages, drawing from pop culture, art history, punk rock and anarchism. The artist uses materials including photographs from the 19th and 20th centuries, blackboard paint, beeswax, audio and VHS tape.

10:30 am-7 pm, April 15-May 12, Contrast Gallery Shanghai, 1F, 181 Jiangxi Middle Road. 021-6323-1989

Here comes Yanni

Greek American musician Yanni will hit the stage of Shanghai. Yanni has blended jazz, classical, soft rock and world music to create instrumental works. He has achieved international recognition by presenting concerts at historic monuments such as Taj Mahal in India and the Forbidden City in China.

7:30 pm, April 26. Mercedes-Benz Arena, 1200 Expo Avenue, Pudong New Area. 021-5150-9199