A billboard outside an art gallery displays an image of me wearing a balaclava my grandmother gave me before I left Lima for Paris and later Beijing. Typically used for advertising or propaganda, this billboard disrupts expectations by turning a public space into a site of personal and political inquiry. In a highly regulated visual landscape like China, this gesture challenges notions of visibility, identity, and belonging.

This piece explores how an object’s meaning shifts across cultures and contexts. For my grandmother, the balaclava signifies protection against winter; for others, it might evoke humor, habit, threat, religious practice, protest, or even a Christmas gift. Beyond personal memory, it reveals how identity is shaped by interpretation, migration, and the tension between private and public space.