Chinese ink painter turns to rock as new medium of expression

When Hao Shiming started to paint on stone two years ago, he thought the shift from painting on paper and silk to rocks was a whim that would pass.

But rooted in traditional Chinese culture, he became more passionate about painting and carving on stone - a medium that allows him to communicate with nature.

Hao's latest exhibition, which is ongoing at the Hadrien de Montferrand gallery in Beijing, displays the stone works and ink paintings in his signature abstract style derived from Chinese calligraphy. His Daguan series is inspired by the book Notes of Daguan Period that collected many works by well-known calligraphers such as Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420).