Shanghai University's Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts has opened its annual exhibition of undergraduate coursework at its Baoshan campus.

The exhibition, which is free and open on weekdays until November 18, pairs student work with the assignments that inspired it.

Visitors can see how architecture students integrate a building into an existing neighborhood, how designers transform a carton into its own carrying case, and how AI is used in the creative process.

Throughout the displays, models, pictures, and diagrams provide visitors with multiple ways to follow a project.

For example, architecture students set models of prospective structures on a shared site model and alter them in relation to neighboring roads, buildings, and public areas.

One study focuses on the industrial history of Shanghai's South Railway Station, identifying rails and gantry cranes as elements of the historic shoreline.

Two art courses at the academy discuss the function of artificial intelligence. Experimental art students research how a previous artist created a work, then use AI to help narrow a subject and explore different ways to develop their own proposal.

Visitors can see framed prints and lithography tools, which are used by artists to draw on a flat stone, apply ink, and transfer the picture to paper.

The surface of the stone influences how the image appears. The course panel presents a visual guide that pairs distinct printed textures with remarks on how they were created. Students could use it to decide on a technique for their own prints.

If you go

Dates: Through November 18, 2026. Closed on weekends.

Venue: Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Shanghai University, Baoshan Campus

Address: 99 Shangda Rd 上大路99号

Public transport: Take Metro Line 7 to Shanghai University Station

Admission: Free