In 2001, the Red Mansion Foundation, a Britain-based cultural organisation, held an exhibition of contemporary Chinese art in London, showcasing works by 20 of 'the most exciting artists from China'.
The mainland's Zhang Xiaogang, Yue Minjun, Fang Lijun and Huang Rui were among them, as was Kwok Mang-ho, also known as 'Frog King', the only Hong Kong artist represented at the show.
Being ranked alongside some of the biggest names on the global art scene today makes the 63-year-old painter and performance artist not only one of the most noteworthy - but also the most undervalued - artists in town.
But that doesn't bother Kwok, who has a habit of giving his work away. Much to the chagrin of family and friends, making money appears to be the last thing on his mind. Kwok says he has always had a 'warped' sense of material value.
'A lot of people lose sleep over money, not me. But that also means I have no idea how to market my work,' says the disciple of Chinese ink master Lui Shou-kwan. 'I feel uneasy when I have to talk about the monetary value of my work.
'Someone once asked me the price of one of my paintings and I randomly came up with HK$2,000. Then my wife [South Korean artist Cho Hyun-jae] upped that to HK$8,000 and we ended up selling five. It's human nature - if something is free, people don't value it, they might even throw it away. But if they paid for it, they'd give it more care.'