We literally lived underground. We dug a hole and lived there for years. My father cleaned public toilets, even though he was a highly respected poet.
AI WEIWEIToday, the general masses in this society are in this political-social condition that really encourages people to become rich and become a star and be unique.
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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If my art has nothing to do with people’s pain and sorrow, what is ‘art’ for?
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These are nonviolent people who have lost their freedom simply because they expressed their ideas….In truth, they are heroes of our time.
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The Internet has established a public sphere and developed a pressure which the government can no longer ignore.
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Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.
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If civil society has nobody who protects the law, then what kind of society is that?
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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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I don’t like China. Even today, I still feel I have no emotional relations with this place.
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Maybe being powerful means to be fragile.
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China hasn’t only existed for one day. Now, the whole nation has become richer and it’s become a problem. The problem is universal. The factor is big. Everybody has to rethink the balance of the world and the whole landscape.
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A historical property has morals and ethics of the society that created it and it can be revived. What I mean is that we can discover new possibilities from the process of dismantling, transforming, and recreating.
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You’re still being looked at as somebody who – it’s a very complicated issue.
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Overturning police cars is a super-intense workout. It’s probably the only sport I enjoy.
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In the end, I think, the state’s rigidity is a function of its own insecurity, its indecisiveness.
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You only have temporary curiosity, amusement, and challenges, but that does not necessarily mean you are really convinced that it’s necessary or that it’s not even worth to do it.
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The relationship between the Chinese government and me is like a Cold War.
AI WEIWEI