If artists cannot speak up for human dignity or rights, then who else will do it?
AI WEIWEIThe whole attitude of society has become much more open and realistic. They realize that the only way to make a more democratic and free society is to let different opinions come out.
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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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.
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If it’s possible, I will have some noodles in the morning and start talking to people, start to think about a few things in my head.
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Warhol influenced me because of his writing. If I had never read his writings and interviews, I would never have understood his work.
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It is to wonder about the world, to understand the nature of people and, most importantly, to be shared with another, old or young, known or unknown.
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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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To call yourself a Chinese artist or woman artist or African artist reflects a certain kind of condition. To me, that is not necessary.
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If civil society has nobody who protects the law, then what kind of society is that?
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It’s the place they take you before they give you over to the judicial system. You stay there for a year or two and they make you really suffer to confess everything.
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Now you have the equal opportunity to equip yourself through information and knowledge and express yourself as an independent mind.
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[Shanghai Biennale] has been my attitude for as long as I’ve been practicing art and other cultural-related activities.
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If a nation cannot face its past, it has no future.
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I don’t want the next generation to fight the same fight as I did.
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Liberty is about the right to question everything.
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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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I hope that my work expresses my worldview and encourages people to exchange ideas.
AI WEIWEI