To call yourself a Chinese artist or woman artist or African artist reflects a certain kind of condition. To me, that is not necessary.
AI WEIWEIThe fantasy we had with pearls was always so luxurious and unique with a kind of rareness.
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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Even though everybody who looked at me would call me a Chinese artist, that’s the 1980s. New York in the ’80s was not so interesting.
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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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You’re still being looked at as somebody who – it’s a very complicated issue.
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Hopefully, other successes aren’t like me. It carries much more meaning to other people; my success story is irrelevant. It doesn’t make any sense.
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I don’t think China should care if this crazy old guy should have a show here or not.
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I think China is laughing about the results of the presidential elections. China, Russia, they all laugh about it.
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I also doubt a man can give really clear reasons for anything.
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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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My angst and my insecurity reflect the state’s angst and insecurity. The state is scared too.
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The purpose of art is the fight for freedom.
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These folks are creative and ironic, and the government can ultimately not control what is going on in their heads.
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I call on people to be ‘obsessed citizens,’ forever questioning and asking for accountability. That’s the only chance we have today of a healthy and happy life.
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I think art certainly is the vehicle for us to develop any new ideas, to be creative, to extend our imagination, to change the current conditions.
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I think by not letting young people be fully informed, how can they have energy and passion and the right picture of the world? I think that’s the true crime.
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I curated this show [Shanghai Biennale ], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial.
AI WEIWEI