Man has a tendency to try to give clear reasons to be rational, but often you can see how all those reasons are not convincing and turn out to be a big nonsense.
The whole Chinese system – not just the political leadership, the military too, the whole power structure, our education system, the whole of society – is suffering from being cut off from the free flow of information.
My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression. I don’t think anybody can separate art from politics. The intention to separate [the two] is itself a very political intention.
Art should live in the heart of the people. Ordinary people should have the same ability to understand art as anybody else. I don’t think art is elite or mysterious.
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.
Ordinary people should have the same ability to understand art as anybody else. I don’t think art is elite or mysterious. I don’t think anybody can separate art from politics.
Any politician who respects China’s government should tell it openly what is in his heart. It is disrespectful to keep quiet about such issues – both vis-a-vis the government and the people concerned.
At the moment about 350,000 students return to China from abroad each year – 350,000 young and educated people. I know about them because they know me and often ask me in the street if they can take a selfie with me.
There’s no such thing as “fixed” culture. China is also becoming more global. Its problems are becoming international problems, becoming German problems, becoming American problems.
I think I’m just a traveler. When you walk across a river and there’s no bridge, you build one. I’m used to having to deal with Chinese Communist ideology.
![Ai Weiwei Quote - [Museums] all belongs to the cultural department, which is the biggest cultural department in the world.](https://minimalistquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/museums-all-belongs-to-the-cultural-department-whi-683x1024.jpg)
![Ai Weiwei Quote - I believe [the architecture firm] Herzog and de Meuron and our collaboration made the product the best it could be.](https://minimalistquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/i-believe-the-architecture-firm-herzog-and-de-meur-683x1024.jpg)
![Ai Weiwei Quote - My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression. I don’t think anybody can separate art from politics. The intention to separate [the two] is itself a very political intention.](https://minimalistquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/my-definition-of-art-has-always-been-the-same-it-i-1-683x1024.jpg)
![Ai Weiwei Quote - I don’t think [price] reflects if the work is good or bad.A good artist shouldn’t be nervous about that.](https://minimalistquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/i-dont-think-price-reflects-if-the-work-is-good-or-683x1024.jpg)
