My Memory Nr. 1 2002

"My Memory Nr. 1" (2002) by Chinese artist Zhang Xiaogang is a striking oil painting that portrays a young boy with a vacant stare and a bandage over his ear, set against a pale blue background. The painting's minimalist style and haunting imagery explore themes of memory, identity, and loss, common motifs in Xiaogang's "Bloodline" series. His signature "bloodline" paintings feature family portraits with obscured faces, reflecting the tumultuous political and social changes that have shaped modern China. The child's unreadable expression and the single bandage evoke a sense of fragility and vulnerability, creating a melancholic and thought-provoking image.