“I have no ideas about the end result,” says the French artist Bernard Frize. “I don’t follow any self-seeking strategy. I have to leave my thoughts to mature until the urge to move on to realizing them becomes undeniable.” Frize’s thought process is echoed in his poetic brushstrokes on canvas, straight sweeps that line up or create basketweave patterns. The repeated gestures are often executed in luminous colors, sometimes translucent, sometimes opaque. It’s as if a ghost were the painter—but one enamored with puzzles, diagrams, and complex rules. Frize’s first solo show in mainland China sees 17 of these graceful paintings on view. —E.C.