Zhang Xiaogang

After growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China, Zhang Xiaogang became internationally revered for his intimate portraits of Chinese history.

China’s past is painted into family portraits by Zhang Xiaogang.

Xiaogang was born in Yunnan Province, China in 1958. He was just six years old when the Cultural Revolution began, and it continued until 1976.

At the time many families (including the Zhangs) were separated and sent to learn new skills that would serve the revolutionary vision of China.

Xiaogang’s paintings grapple with this tumultuous history and rapid social change from the subjective perspective of memory

A young boy and girl stand side by side

Bloodline Series, Big Family, Sister and Brother, 1999

A boy and a girl stand side by side

Bloodline Series, Lovers, 1999

Close up of a young boy

Bloodline Series, Boy, 2004

People’s lives are changing quickly, so now we’re facing our memory and our memory loss, which results in a number of psychological reactions.

We are all trapped by memory, unable to deal with the present.

Two men in front of a woman, posing for a family portrait

Bloodline Series, Big Family, No.1, 1995


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