YM:  Half and half — I'm happiest when I'm working.

YM:  It's an expression that encompasses both joy and disdain, happiness and anxiety — the full range of human laughter.

YM:  My surroundings.

YM:  Yes, I studied painting for four years at the Hebei Normal University in northeast China.

YM:  "Cynical realism" is a phrase coined by Chinese art critic and curator Li Xianting that describes the artistic reaction to the political events of 1989. At that time, a lot of artists working in China were frustrated with the government, but had no way to express it. The only way to express one's frustration and suffering was through sarcasm, political satire, and cynicism. Cynical realism continues social realism's departure from romantic gestures, but it also has a lot of conceptual depth.

YM:  It was a very influential historical moment for me. It was as though my practice had been broken by this particular event — it brought on a sense of disillusionment. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen in the future, and I started to take on an attitude that I shouldn't care that much because it was futile to care.

YM:  I began getting recognition from my colleagues in the early '90s, but it's really over the past three years that more and more people have come to know my work. My first exhibition outside the Mainland was at Schoeni Art Gallery in Hong Kong in 1994, followed by exhibitions in Europe in 1995 and 1996. Most of my solo shows have been staged abroad.

YM:  Not yet.

YM:  I have a very large studio in Beijing and either two or three assistants, but they don't engage in making the artworks.

YM:  Every single painting of mine has a narrative and encapsulates a specific feeling that should be accessible to viewers. Some pieces are archetypal, while others draw on classic works — for example, my takes on Manet.

YM:  Humor is an entrance into the work. When the audience is drawn in and gives real attention to the work, they have the opportunity to understand the narrative.

YM:  The self-portrait works in conjunction with the context — that's definitely a challenge in terms of composition. I'm using metaphor like a director making a movie. The protagonist can be cast in many different scenarios.

YM:  Some of the works have a direct connection to Buddhism. In general, the act of smiling is an important element of Taoism. On that level, Buddhism permeates throughout the work.

YM:  I can't do anything else but paint, which makes my decision to continue being an artist an easy one.

YM:  I can't really say because that success is just unfolding now. I need some time to digest this situation and somehow find an answer.

YM:  I'm not quite there yet. It's the collectors who have most benefited at this point.

YM:  Neither — I'm an anarchist.

YM:  The reason that I don't want an explicit evolution of my style is that I want to keep it simple, so that anyone can appreciate it. I'm not trying to make elegant work for the elite. I'm making work for the masses.

YM:  Yes, I'm developing other ideas.

YM:  A lot of the details still need to be finalized. We're having discussions with architects and are still considering whether it will be a permanent collection or a rotating collection of works.

Yue Minjun and the Symbolic Smile runs through January 6 at the Queens Museum of Art in New York. A catalogue of his work, Reproduction Icons: Yue Minjun Works, 2004-2006 , was published by Timezone 8 in 2006.