Beyond Ink

The performative application of ink, the time-based process of meditative mark-making, and the sculptural dimension of the material are revealed in each artist’s work, and in the dialogues between them. Works by artists Yang Jiechang, Zhang Yu, Zheng Chongbin, and Wang Tiande will present a wide and varied scope of contemporary works that explore the materiality, history, and potential of ink as an artistic medium. The exhibition title, Beyond Ink, reflects the curator’s emphasis on artists working with ink in innovative and unconventional ways — beyond traditional ink painting, but beyond modern ink painting as well. While Yang Jiechang (b. 1956), Zhang Yu (b. 1957), Wang Tiande (b. 1960), and Zheng Chongbin (b. 1961) come from the same generation of artists and are unified by their shared Chinese heritage, these commonalities make the breadth of their collective work all the more significant. Despite the similarity of the artists’ origins, the differences between their respective practices underscore the unique capacity of ink to serve as a performative, documentary, sculptural, and/or time-based medium in the hands of each artist. The selected artists in Beyond Ink are not interested in conforming to the well-worn comforts of established ink painting traditions, nor are they concerned with the lyricism, serendipity, and delicate handling that characterizes the majority of ink art, new and old. Beyond Ink exemplifies the experimentation and revitalization of a storied medium rife with meaning, through the expansive work of four contemporary artists.