Zhang Yu: Ink Reconstructed
Zhang Yu is known for pushing the boundaries of ink, experimenting with the medium in ways that blend abstraction, durational performance, and embodied practice. Moving beyond traditional ink painting, he has pursued a new form of conceptual ink art over his fifty-year career, establishing himself as a revolutionary and disruptor of the medium.
The works featured in Zhang Yu: Ink Reconstructed” are mainly two-dimensional pieces divided into three series: minimalist, abstract ink paintings from the mid-1980s; the experimental ink “Divine Light” series from the 1990s; and the ongoing “Fingerprints” series from the early 21st century, which is based on fingerprinting processes. Despite their diversity, all these works share common materials—Xuan paper and ink—symbolizing the artist’s enduring spiritual quest. Zhang challenges and deconstructs the art historical canon, developing a new approach to art rooted in both Eastern and Western artistic traditions. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to view works from the Divine Light series, as Zhang no longer consigns this collection to galleries.