A society is healthy only when it allows its members to discuss their thoughts openly. This is also the only way that a society can gather consensus, let everyone express his or her wish, and foster creativity.
AI WEIWEIEverything is art. Everything is politics.
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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We grew up in a very material-lacking socialist society, but today China is a capitalist society. It’s very materialistic. It’s full of desire and luxury goods.
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I hope that my work expresses my worldview and encourages people to exchange ideas.
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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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I have to respect my life, and free expression is part of my life. I can never really silence myself.
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[Cultural department] understand nothing but bureaucratic daily affairs. They don’t care about culture.
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The society was so different [in China] – it was a feudalistic society. It didn’t come to a point of industrial revolution until twenty years ago.
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It’s really rubbish that some kind of “technical” learning means you will be a better person because you know this skill better.
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I always want people to be confused, to be shocked or realize something later.
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A nation that has no music and no fairytales is a tragedy.
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My typical day is I wake up and appreciate that I can still wake up.
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We never really see the global situation as a total situation. Today’s political leaders are still lacking of the vision.
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I curated this show [Shanghai Biennale ], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial.
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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.
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[Museums] all belongs to the cultural department, which is the biggest cultural department in the world.
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As long as I can communicate, I’m not so lonely. If I cannot travel, or do art, or have company, if they take away all my belongings, it doesn’t matter at all.
AI WEIWEI