South Korean artist Ha Chong-hyun. [Photo provided to China Daily]

He even painted on wooden boxes due to lack of canvas in the 1950s.

"Poverty used to be my source of inspiration," he says.

His studio today has some Chinese ink paintings and calligraphy works by prominent artists on the walls. He says South Korea and China share a lot in common in culture.

He writes Chinese characters as well. For the show in Shanghai, he says the Chinese audience will have no difficulty in understanding dansaekhwa.

Lee, founder of the Kukje gallery, says Chinese easily understand dansaekhwa art as she has noted from past experience at fairs, such as the Frieze London, Art Basel Hong Kong and ART021 in Shanghai.

When the gallery presented the genre at Shanghai's ART021 in November, many Chinese collectors showed interest in dansaekhwa. This inspired Lee to plan a group show at a museum in China to promote the art among a wider section of the Chinese society.