Qiu Zhenzhong will display in New York his two series-Statues and Shan Hai Jing Prequel(above). [Photo provided to China Daily]

Qiu says in his abstract pieces, the movement of ink becomes something that makes him think of monsters created in myths. So he uses "Shan Hai Jing Prequel" to describe them.

Each stroke in Qiu's work is clean and tight, very much like his calligraphy, which he has practiced since he was a teenager. He is a professor of calligraphy at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and has published many books on the subject. His long years of practicing calligraphy has helped him create abstract paintings that he says naturally form from his writing.

"Calligraphy is stereotyped as a very traditional art. I'm glad that I can transform it into contemporary art," says Qiu, who practices calligraphy almost daily.

Fellow artist Shen, 39, will also display two of his series－Pieces from the Seasons and World Series. The first follows a narrative style of ink and the second is abstract paintings.