Zhang Yu, Fingerprints - 2005.11-2, 2005
Plant pigment on xuan paper
75 × 75 cm (visible), 106 × 106 × 10 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good
Artwork located in Taichung, Taiwan.
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Zhang Yu (Taiwanese, b. 1959), styled Yuren and also known by the pseudonym Shiyu, is a freelance artist and independent curator. Born in 1959 in Tianjin, he currently lives and works in Beijing. Zhang is a leading figure in the field of experimental ink art in China. His work Fingerprints (Zhi Yin) is a narrative that unfolds through performative actions, leaving traces of process and time.
Deeply influenced by Buddhist philosophy, Zhang's creative acts are part of his spiritual practice. His abstract creations emphasize the process of making art as an embodiment of his philosophical reflections and inner spirituality. Since the beginning of his career, Zhang has continuously pushed the boundaries of artistic language, striving to return his work to a state of simplicity and originality. In his early series such as Aura, he worked solely with Xuan paper and monochrome ink. In his Fingerprints series, which he began in the early 1990s, he further simplified his approach by using only his fingers—primarily his right index finger—instead of traditional brushes, and limiting his palette to red, black, and the absence of colour (white).
Although many artists throughout history have used their fingers as tools, the method has rarely been considered part of the artistic canon. Zhang, however, chose to adopt this technique as the foundation of his path in contemporary ink art.
In the Fingerprints series, Zhang performs a meditative repetition of pressing his right index finger onto Xuan paper, producing thousands of overlapping impressions. This process creates a unique visual effect, transforming the fingerprint—a symbol of human identity—into an aesthetic and seemingly infinite motif. Exploiting the pliability of Xuan paper, Zhang uses the indentation of his fingerprints to alter both the surface and structure of the paper. The traces he leaves resemble reliefs, recording the performative nature of his painting practice.
(Photographed in April 2025)