Lu Dadong’s art is driven by rebelliousness and playfulness. For him, inspiration can be found everywhere; daily life is creative life. His tools are borrowed from the history of calligraphy, and his outlook on calligraphic history is turned into text installations. Lu Dadong absorbs the classical tradition, subverts tradition, and re-enters tradition. Through Dadong, calligraphy is being re-made as “contemporary”.

Taoist calligraphy is one of Lu Dadong’s favourite resources. The Taoist’s worship of words is reflected in the diverse forms of magic writing used in rituals. Wang Xizhi and his son Wang Xianzhi (4th CE), revered as Sages of calligraphy, believed in the “Way of the Celestial Master”, and their activities often related closely to Taoism. Their Taoist-inspired calligraphy established the main writing styles for nearly two thousand years, these include the styles of regular script, running script and cursive script.

Opening reception: 2 December, Saturday, 2-6pm

Gallery address: 2/F Mai On Industrial Building, 17-21 Kung Yip Street, Kwai Chung