Zhang Xiaogang talks market forces and what makes a good artist

It's a very, very small exhibition because it was decided quickly and we didn't have any preparation before. But since I'm showing the oil on paper pieces, which are smaller in size, it's easier to manage. Very few people have seen my works on paper, so this is a good occasion to show them in Hong Kong for the first time.

Oil on paper paintings used to be my favourite form of working in the 1980s. That was due to my living conditions: I was living in a small space that didn't allow me to do larger pieces. I took my inspiration from printmaking and combined it with my expertise in oil painting. In the '80s, I was more interested in religion, legends and things that are related to romanticism, such as poetry. I then gradually turned to larger works on canvas. It was, however, not until last year that I painted on paper again; I was looking for a new feeling. Since then, I've been exploring the state of mind of intellectuals in my paintings.

I wouldn't say so — mainly because I didn't just switch from one medium to another. I painted on paper for about five years; I'm familiar with it. I'm very interested in the material and I'd like to explore its potential whenever I have time. Also, I've been working on the subject of family portraits, which are easier to do on canvas — they look too small on paper.

I guess there are several factors, and one of them is closely related to the times. I began creating and showing them respectively in 1993 and '94, during the rise of Chinese economic reform, and the entire world was beginning to pay attention to China and its art. I guess the subject matter of The Big Family was relatively easy for people to understand. [ Laughs] It is relevant to every family and it's a universal subject. Another factor is that Chinese culture had come to a point that it was looking for something to represent its contemporary era, and The Big Family revealed a personal viewpoint towards history.

You could say that China is in an era with no culture. Market economy is having a huge impact on the cultural values — this had never happened before. The power of capital is currently bigger than the power of culture. That's the state we're living in.

It's a very strange feeling. I didn't have much experience with the market previously. When I finally got to know about the market in the past few years, I found that it wasn't quite the way I imagined it. It has its own rules, its own modes of operating and its own kind of value judgment. It has gone beyond the realm of common knowledge about art. I'm still in the learning stage. As for the high prices of my pieces, they are beyond my imagination. Of course, I'm very happy that there are people who are willing to spend so much money on my work. Then again, I'm an artist who refuses to participate in the market myself. An artist should just work in his studio and do his job well.