"It's like constructing buildings. The paper offers space for many possibilities," he says.

Yuan Yunfu, a professor at the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University, says: "Chinese ink paintings and calligraphy share the same origin.

"In Wang's work, a gist of calligraphy is extracted, transformed and exaggerated to find a connection between the content and the platform, and a balance is struck between something concrete and abstract."

However, Wang prefers to call himself a practitioner of modern art.

"As modern lifestyles are different from life in ancient times, it is not necessary to follow traditions," says Wang.

So, he wants hanshu to make traditional Chinese art forms accessible to the East and West.

"The spirit of traditional art must be retained, but new approaches are also needed," he says.

"Chinese-style modern art is not only about Western methods to explain Chinese themes. We need Chinese platforms."

His views are echoed by US artist Joan Schulze, who says: "It's a dilemma for all artists－h(huán)ow to honor traditions and move them forward so that art remains a live and growing medium.

"Wang has done this: Each work is uniquely his and contributes a fresh approach to the long tradition of Chinese calligraphy.

"Paper and ink become one with this artist－say more with less."