Artist Zhang Xiaogang on the Cultural Revolution and how Chinese artists are perceived in the West

Zhang Xiaogang became one of the earliest faces of contemporary Chinese art for the West. His Bloodline series, a stylised take on Mao-era family portraits, was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1995. Early in his career, Zhang gave away works to friends, and the ones that were sold went for about HK$1,000. Now, his pieces are stars of auctions – his Forever Lasting Love fetched HK$79 million three years ago. Zhang discusses the impact of the Cultural Revolution on his artistic expression, how Chinese artists are perceived in the West, and how he views his legacy.

Many critics see your works, especially the Bloodline series, as your critical reflection on the Cultural Revolution.

It’s true that I can never escape from my memories of the Cultural Revolution, but my paintings are not simply denouncing or criticising the movement. The revolution broke out when I was eight. For an outsider, the movement is utterly brutal and inhumane, but for people of my age the Cultural Revolution was our childhood. In the eyes of an eight-year-old boy, the revolution was like a long holiday, no school, no homework and no restrictions from parents as they were sent to different labour camps. Mixed feelings came to me after I grew up: the movement, in fact, split my family and traumatised all those living through it in some way.

Do you think the political and social value of Chinese contemporary art is more important than its aesthetic in the West?

The presence of Chinese contemporary art was first recognised by the world for its difference, in terms of both its artistic language and content from Western art. The side effect of such recognition is curators only selected art pieces that fit this angle. To some degree, Chinese artistic language has not been fully accepted. But things have changed in the past decade, from treating Chinese artists as a group, without knowing who’s who, to treating us as distinct individuals.