Zhang Yu 张羽

Practitioners of experimental ink painting sought to rethink traditional ink painting through the use of new materials, methods, and formats. Zhang’s Fingerprint series is an example of the artist’s novel and conceptual approach to painting. From a distance, the scrolls of this installation appear as if they are made of plain paper, devoid of any pictures or writing. With a closer look, however, the surface texture becomes visible: they are covered with the impressions of thousands of individual fingerprints.

Zhang created these impressions by dipping his index finger in water, then tenderly pressing it to the paper’s surface; the spot he touched became wet and darkened slightly, but soon dried, leaving only a subtle, sunken dot. Using neither ink nor brush, Zhang created a series of works that forge a synergetic relationship between painting, installation, and performance with the human body.