In my case, I was stuck there for quite a while. New York is large enough to be a very abstract city, so nobody cares.
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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The intention to separate art from politics is itself a very political intention.
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Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.
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Creativity is the power to act.
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I have people working together, doing different things: architecture, art installation, photography, publishing, and curatorial works and design.
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Somehow, we [ Tan Dun and director Chen Kaige] were all privileged at the time; we could be outside of China. But at the moment, we had no sense of what the future was going to be like.
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This week, the world gathers in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic games. This is the extraordinary moment China has been dreaming of for 100 years.
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I think it’s quite narrow-minded. There wasn’t much encouragement or opportunities for any artist – not just Chinese artists.
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The relationship between the Chinese government and me is like a Cold War.
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You’re still being looked at as somebody who – it’s a very complicated issue.
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Nothing is clear-cut. Perhaps I’ll find my way – or get totally lost.
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But personally, I don’t think my work and my understanding of art is so much related to being Chinese, but the character of that. Maybe it’s beyond my own consciousness.
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…photographs are facts, but not necessarily true… The present always surpasses the past, and the future will not care about today.
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Life is never guaranteed to be safe, so we better use it while we are still in good condition.
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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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For me, it is OK as long as I can breathe, as long as my heart is pumping, as long as I can express myself.
AI WEIWEI