As an undergraduate in the Fine Arts Department of the Shanghai Drama Institute, ZHANG Jian-Jun studied oil painting in the standard realist genres. Outside of the classroom, however, he created abstract paintings and works in mixed media on canvas. Five such works were included in the ’83 Experimental Painting Exhibition at Fudan University; four of them were criticized for being abstract, with one—in mixed media—singled out as “strange.” The exhibition was closed after a day and a half due to the newly launched Anti-Spiritual Pollution campaign. In 1989 Zhang moved to the United States and turned to working with ink on paper, media he had employed prior to attending art school. Investigating the fundamental qualities of ink, he created ink painting installations, installations incorporating liquid ink, and paintings combining ink and oil paint. Becoming interested in ways of noting the passage of time in art, for many years he has produced videos, installations, and paintings under the theme of Vestiges of a Process. Vestiges of a Process: Flowing Water and Water ink paintings capture a moment by focusing in on the water’s ever-changing surface, represented by a few deft ink strokes. Touches of oil paint added to the abbreviated ink markings react to changes in ambient light, and vividly suggest the glint of light on flowing water.