Wang Dongling Dragon (2), 2013 Silver salt calligraphy on photograph 61 x 50.5 cm WANG Dongling has explored various possibilities, testing the grounds for ‘modern calligraphy’ and looking for active elements in the tradition that are sympathetic to contemporary experience. Since calligraphy no longer plays a role in ‘normal’ life, the ‘exceptional’ in terms of experience and context becomes its new norm. What WANG Dongling has achieved with his large bang shu is more than a technical or physical breakthrough; he has galvanized the visual experience of calligraphy and reconstructed its image as a form of ‘contemporary’ art. If we look at these works from the point of view of tradition, we can safely assume his ‘dance writing’ would find approval among the ancients. WANG Dongling’s large-scale renderings of Zhuangzi’s Wandering Beyond, Laozi’s The Way and Its Power and the Li Sao of Qu Yuan are unique masterpieces that deserve an enduring place in the history of Chinese calligraphy, as does their creator, whose life is one with that noble tradition.
