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
Bloodline Series, Big Family, Sister and Brother, 1999
Bloodline Series, Lovers, 1999
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.
Bloodline Series, Big Family, No.1, 1995
