Yu

Yu (b. 1978, Shanghai) is a Chinese-born painter based in Malta.

He began drawing and painting at the age of four and received studio training from an early age. From his teenage years, Yu focused increasingly on the European classical painting tradition, beginning a long-term study of its visual language, historical techniques and working methods. He later studied architecture and worked for many years in the architectural field, further shaping his understanding of structure, proportion, space and light.

After settling in Malta, Yu returned his focus to painting. Working primarily in watercolour, while also practising in oil, he favours a slow, layered approach, building colour, atmosphere and spatial depth through carefully controlled layers.

His work combines close observation with his long-standing study of traditional painting methods. Restrained colour, carefully controlled tonal relationships and a strong sense of light and space are recurring characteristics of his paintings. Malta’s historic architecture, streets and Mediterranean atmosphere have become central to his recent work, while his wider practice also includes portraiture and religious subjects.

He lives and works in Malta.