Boundless calligraphy draws outside the lines

As an advocate of ink art innovation, Chen Heliang does not like attempts by some artists in the field.

"One has to have solid training in calligraphy and know the tradition really well before making any attempts to innovate," he says. "Otherwise you don't have firm ground to stand on, let alone building something new on."

The 57-year-old painter and calligrapher from Shanghai has been widely exhibited and collected internationally.