I loved New York — every inch of it. It was a little bit scary at that time, but still, the excitement was so strong — visually and intellectually. It was like a monster.
AI WEIWEIThe United States is a melting pot. Like John F. Kennedy said, it’s a nation of immigrants. But Donald Trump wants to build a fence that clearly makes the statement: “You and I are divided.
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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[Museums] all belongs to the cultural department, which is the biggest cultural department in the world.
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We’re different, and you’re dangerous.” That kind of thinking stops human, civilized evolution. It’s dangerous to create that kind of tension.
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After I came back [to China], there was still a long period of time when I felt I had nothing to do.
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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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Creativity is the power to reject the past, to change the status quo, and to seek new potential. Simply put, aside from using one’s imagination – perhaps more importantly – creativity is the power to act.
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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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Nothing is clear-cut. Perhaps I’ll find my way – or get totally lost.
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As a total activity – I practice curating, art, architecture, writing, and publishing all together. I still act as a living creature.
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This so-called fame or being better off doesn’t really attract me at all.
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Everything is art. Everything is politics.
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I never really read Allen Ginsberg poetry, even though I have a book he gave me.
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To work in architecture you are so much involved with society, with politics, with bureaucrats. It’s a very complicated process to do large projects.
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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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I think the government regrets having Sina Weibo, but they cannot shut it down. That would definitely be suicidal.
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That’s why I always question this sense. The feeling of home really requires a lot of trust. It requires you to identify with it, which I always find myself very contradictory to.
AI WEIWEI