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.
AI WEIWEIIf a master, a wise and experienced man, wields a great weapon, that’s beautiful. He can serve peace with it. But if someone’s emotions are imbalanced, even if he has the best equipment,
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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That’s why the country can’t face up to open competition – unless it resorts to measures like North Korea.
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The purpose of art is the fight for freedom.
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The fantasy we had with pearls was always so luxurious and unique with a kind of rareness.
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I don’t think [price] reflects if the work is good or bad.A good artist shouldn’t be nervous about that.
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China is at a different stage of development, human rights are violated here much more often. And still, we see improvements even here.
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Whenever there is injustice, there is tension. But in China it is very hard to release your anger unless you burn yourself or you jump from a bridge. In a society where there is no freedom of the press, it is difficult for victims to be noticed.
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There isn’t a single Chinese university that can invite me to give a talk. Even though I know there are many students who would like to hear what I have to say.
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I have to respect my life, and free expression is part of my life. I can never really silence myself.
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Everything is selected by the central government without good judgment or an understanding of culture to make it really safe. They will become nobody to maintain their power and be raised to the next higher level.
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The museums used to be exhibition halls for government propaganda, and now every city wants to build a museum.
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Of course, people will call you an old artist or young artist, which is just a character of you.
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You have so many museums in the West, and so many shows, you need somebody to show the work, otherwise it’s empty.
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Freedom of expression is a very essential condition for me to make any art. Also, it is an essential value for my life. I have to protect this right and also to fight for the possibility.
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In the end, I think, the state’s rigidity is a function of its own insecurity, its indecisiveness.
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I am everywhere and I am nowhere. That’s the beauty of the Internet Age.
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I don’t belong to a working system. They only select people if you belong to one so you can be controlled.
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[Being unique] gives so much privilege to people who can make it, rather than having some moral and aesthetic discussions.
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If I look at it, I would laugh. I don’t know how I became successful.
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Self-censorship is insulting to the self. Timidity is a hopeless way forward.
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Chinese government is very clearly losing power in every aspect, but trying to fix up all the problems or potential problems.
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Every day I’m learning something new from the practice. It’s very rewarding.
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I think you can give meaning to any condition; you can be poor or unsuccessful or be so-called successful. But I don’t think that it would give an individual human being a better condition.
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[Cultural department] understand nothing but bureaucratic daily affairs. They don’t care about culture.
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Each year, more people want to become artists.
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I think Donald Trump should cool down a little bit. To pay more attention to the history. To really understand what U.S.’s value is about. I think, as a president, those things you always have to ask.
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The intention to separate art from politics is itself a very political intention.
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