Beijing Central Academy’s Department of Chinese Painting. Frustrated with traditional ink painting training that requires copying of classical forms, and transmission by reproduction, Kong has sought to distance herself from such customs by experimenting with the organic qualities of the ink medium. In recent years, Kong Yan has become interested in the morphological changes that can be observed when ink bleeds on paper. Eliminating her own “artist hand,” she has discovered techniques to create ambiguous ink forms that inspire multiple interpretations.