Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts presents the representative Chinese contemporary ink and wash artist ZHANG Yu’s exhibition “Fingerprints──The Trace of Zhang Yu’s Practice”. The reason is not only that he is the leading figure of Chinese experimental ink and wash, but that he brings us very unique creations. His art has surpassed the limitation of mediums, changed the mindset people have endowed to traditional ink and wash, and has provided viewers with a new aesthetic idea and conceptions for the aesthetic appreciation.

　　The creativity of Zhang Yu has evolved from Fan Painting Series, Portrait Series, Collection of Random Thoughts, Notes on Ink Images, Divine Light, Morning Post, to Fingerprints. Fingerprints is the symbol of ink and wash stepping into the contemporary era. The exhibited large-scale work in mixed media for the event was created by Zhang Yu for our gallery. It took Zhang Yu nearly a year to accomplish it. The work consists of three parts: space, ground and video. There are two seven-meter-long scrolls, full of white fingerprints made with water from the Dragon Well Spring, hanging down from the roof of the exhibition room to its floor. In front of them is a video work showing the personal fingerprint imprinting behavioral process of Zhang Yu. On the floor are nearly a hundred open ink and wash fingerprint books displayed in an area of several square meters. Viewing the whole artwork from afar, one can see that the artist has produced a spatial field that reveals a very personal spiritual expression. This work of art has applied the simple, pure and clear language to describe the unique cognition the artist has toward the world and space as well as his feelings for culture and inner world.

　　We must especially be thankful for the great support from the curator for this exhibit, Mr. LI Szu-hsien, critic Mr. Chia Chi Jason WANG, and from Da Xiang Art Space Director CHUNG Chinghsin for making this exhibit run as smoothly as possible.

　　Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts,

　　Director CHU The-I