Ink artist shows 'chaos calligraphy' during exhibition

Ink artist Wang Dongling's "chaos calligraphy" is on display. Photos provided to China Daily

Ink artist Wang Dongling, 71, is holding two exhibitions in Beijing to show his achievements in traditional calligraphy and latest experiments with "chaos calligraphy", his unique, innovative and radical script style.

At the exhibition being held at the Tiamiao temple on Monday, titled Between Heaven & Heart, Wang will display a piece work of "chaos calligraphy" in which he rewrote in white paint the Chinese divination classics I-Ching, or Book of Changes, on a 32-meter-long glass board.

The script, regardless of its unrecognizable style, brings a renewed visual experience of which people focus on the rhythm of lines instead of the meaning of characters.

Also on show are dozens of works written in the caoshu running script.

Such "chaos calligraphy" works are also shown at another ongoing solo exhibition, titled Writing Chaos, at Ink Studio in the Caochangdi art district, through Nov 20. Also being displayed there is a video showing his creating process that is quite performing.

The invention of "chaos calligraphy" reflects Wang's diligent practice over several decades and his deepening understanding of the calligraphic spirit. He was also inspired by the poetic scene of tangled stems of wilted lotus on the famous West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. He attempts to recreate the beauty of withering between his writing of lines.