This project, Reshuffling the Past--2015 Contemporary Chinese Ink Art, carried out by the Confucius Institute, is aimed at promoting the development of Chinese contemporary culture, and at showing the world that as China’s own traditional art form, ink art is not only an ancient style but a form that continues to possess creative vitality today.
The inkstone is the place where ink and brush meet. It is part of the “treasures of the scholar’s studio”, one of the carriers of ink art, along with brush, ink and paper.“To wash the inkstone” is a Chinese saying, it means literally to empty it in preparation to receive and create new things.
The artists in this exhibition share in their dedicated efforts to return to the original unique properties of ink art. The eight artists invited to participate in this exhibition are representatives of this trend. It is our hope that these works can serve as a window onto the thinking and attitudes of artists towards their own culture.
 《洗砚--中国当代水墨艺术美国孔子学院巡展》作为孔子学院的文化项目，旨在推进中国当代文化的发展，意在让世界看见作为一个有自己传统的艺术形式, 水墨艺术不仅有一千多年的门风，它依然有不断创造生机的能力。
砚, 乃调和墨笔之地, 是中国书房宝物，它令笔、墨、纸共同成为水墨艺术的物质载体。洗净，亦为腾空，纳入新物。
本展的艺术家，可能说都具有努力回到水墨原来的特性当中去的特点。本展邀请 8 位艺术家, 堪称是当代水墨画的代表，希望这些作品是一扇窗口，让大家看见艺术家对自己文化的深思与态度。