FROM afar, it looks like a simple Chinese landscape painting. And it is, exceptfor one minor detail - it's made of human hair.

After the initial jolt of surprise, curiosity takes over as you take a close look at what ink made from pulverised human hair looks like, as well as the texture of the green tea paper it's painted on.

US-based Chinese contemporary artist Gu Wenda's 27-metre long work for the upcoming Art Stage Singapore in January has a blockbuster air that befits international art fairs but as he shares, his aim is really to show how classical Chinese traditional art can be made contemporary and relevant to the art world today.