We’re different, and you’re dangerous.” That kind of thinking stops human, civilized evolution. It’s dangerous to create that kind of tension.
AI WEIWEII have always stated I designed the stadium as a toilet seat.
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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Everyone thinks the Chinese government selected me. Never ever. I was selected by Herzog and de Meuron.
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The Internet changes the structure of society all the time — this massiveness made of individuals.
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I came back [to Beijing ] because that’s the only time I had an excuse to come back, or otherwise I would never have a reason to come back.
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I never regret anything.
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I am very much interested in the so-called useless object. I mean, it takes perfect craftsmanship, beautiful material carefully measured and crafted, but at the same time it’s really useless.
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Dictatorship is a story about death of others who turn out to be you coincidently.
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Warhol influenced me because of his writing. If I had never read his writings and interviews, I would never have understood his work.
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It is not an easy job to govern China, I am aware of that. There are crises and emergencies all the time, we might not even be aware of some. But I am afraid we’ll have to wait and observe precisely what the government is up to.
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The society was so different [in China] – it was a feudalistic society. It didn’t come to a point of industrial revolution until twenty years ago.
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If there’s the right condition, I always want to express the concept or ideas in a very independent way.
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I curated this show [Shanghai Biennale ], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial.
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The world is not changing if you don’t shoulder the burden of responsibility.
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I always want to design a frame that’s open to everyone. I don’t see art as a secret code.
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The deadly weapon against totalitarian society is openness – doing everything very openly on the Internet, letting people know every detail, any little development. Once it is out there, everybody can make their own judgement.
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If there is no free speech, every single life has lived in vain
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In China, we don’t have any contemporary art museums. Until a few years ago, we didn’t even have a gallery.
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For artists and intellectuals today, what is most needed is to be clear about social responsibility, because that is what most people automatically give up. Just to protect yourself as an individual is very political.
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If there is no freedom of expression, then the beauty of life is lost. Participation in a society is not an artistic choice, it’s a human need.
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When you have strict censorship of the internet, young students cannot receive a full education. Their view of the world is imbalanced. There can be no true discussion of the issues.
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The whole Chinese system – not just the political leadership, the military too, the whole power structure, our education system, the whole of society – is suffering from being cut off from the free flow of information.
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Life is much more interesting when you make a little bit of effort.
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This so-called fame or being better off doesn’t really attract me at all.
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I don’t believe in a sense of home.
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I think I’m just a traveler. When you walk across a river and there’s no bridge, you build one. I’m used to having to deal with Chinese Communist ideology.
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To give a price to an artwork, no matter how high or low, is always absurd. It’s not something that can be measured by money or by certain numbers.
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We never really see the global situation as a total situation. Today’s political leaders are still lacking of the vision.
AI WEIWEI