[Cultural departments] don’t care about culture. Maybe they’re the furthest from the people who understand culture.
AI WEIWEINow 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.
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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No state or society can claim to have established human rights once and for all.
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That’s why I always question this sense. The feeling of home really requires a lot of trust. It requires you to identify with it, which I always find myself very contradictory to.
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I have to find a place for my own. I have to search for my own happiness.
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It [success] is really by mistake.
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The art always wins. Anything can happen to me, but the art will stay.
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People who can’t do that don’t get a sense of responsibility. And if you lack a sense of responsibility, you push the blame onto the system.
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So for too long Americans take liberty as granted. We think we are in the safe hand, the democracy and the liberty, which is not true. And it can be even getting much worse than today.
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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.
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I think it’s more important to show your work to the public.
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He will still mean danger. Modern technology requires calm. You shouldn’t trust anyone with a car who has no knowledge about vehicles or roads.
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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 am very much interested in the so-called useless object. I mean, it takes perfect craftsmanship, beautiful material carefully measured and crafted, but at the same time it’s really useless.
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There’s no single artwork I even want to mention or that I can even really think about it to have any feeling, to be proud of it.
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Overturning police cars is a super-intense workout. It’s probably the only sport I enjoy.
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I have always stated I designed the stadium as a toilet seat.
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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.
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For me, it is OK as long as I can breathe, as long as my heart is pumping, as long as I can express myself.
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The [China] government has improved in the last years. Of course, the structure is still the same; there’s still a one-party system and strong censorship.
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I have people working together, doing different things: architecture, art installation, photography, publishing, and curatorial works and design.
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If you don’t act, the danger becomes stronger.
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So, the politicians and the people who make decisions very often is the one we think can make some difference. But of course they will not make a difference if the citizens or the individuals not push it or not to speak out, to possess a very strong voice about, this is not acceptable.
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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.
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Nothing is clear-cut. Perhaps I’ll find my way – or get totally lost.
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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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The relationship between the Chinese government and me is like a Cold War.
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Any individual can contribute its own belief. And our society or even our government are made by the people. The people would have the final voice, but it requires each individual to act. If we don’t act, then the result is very clear.
AI WEIWEI