“It seems reasonable to expect that beauty will emerge from a fusion of the individual character and culture of the potter,with the nature of his materials.”

Perfection can be a fetish

[Cultural departments] don’t care about culture. Maybe they’re the furthest from the people who understand culture.

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.

Although the Nasser revolution of 1952 was secular, the culture remained deeply religious – but it was a faith of moderation and tolerance.

Now I’ve come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming even more unpredictable.

[Shanghai Biennale] has been my attitude for as long as I’ve been practicing art and other cultural-related activities.

I don’t personally feel any association with a kind of culture related to state, or culture related to power, which I think is always disgusting.

[Cultural department] understand nothing but bureaucratic daily affairs. They don’t care about culture.

Jazz does not belong to one race or culture, but is a gift that America has given the world.