My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression, a new way of communication. It is never about exhibiting in museums or about hanging it on the wall. Art should live in the heart of the people.
AI WEIWEII loved New York — every inch of it. It was a little bit scary at that time, but still, the excitement was so strong — visually and intellectually. It was like a monster.
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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Dictatorship is a story about death of others who turn out to be you coincidently.
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If civil society has nobody who protects the law, then what kind of society is that?
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I’m totally independent. I don’t bear any responsibility to any system.
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I think U.S. and China is a big opportunity, to be seen as partner or some kind of strategic partner maybe. But those kind of powers have a way of getting too big, then we’ll have competition.
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[Being unique] gives so much privilege to people who can make it, rather than having some moral and aesthetic discussions.
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The only way to avoid misunderstanding, war and bloodshed is to defend freedom of expression and to communicate with sincerity, concern and good intentions.
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Nationality and borders are barriers to our intelligence, to our imagination and to all kinds of possibilities.
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The United States is a melting pot. Like John F. Kennedy said, it’s a nation of immigrants. But Donald Trump wants to build a fence that clearly makes the statement: “You and I are divided.
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If human rights are supposed to have any meaning, then they have to be discussed openly.
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What counts in the end is what the government does.
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You have so many museums in the West, and so many shows, you need somebody to show the work, otherwise it’s empty.
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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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But personally, I don’t think my work and my understanding of art is so much related to being Chinese, but the character of that. Maybe it’s beyond my own consciousness.
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Technology is a liberation. I think the information age probably is the best thing to happen to the human race in human evolution.
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The Internet changes the structure of society all the time — this massiveness made of individuals.
AI WEIWEI