I think it’s quite narrow-minded. There wasn’t much encouragement or opportunities for any artist – not just Chinese artists.
AI WEIWEIMy 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.
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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This so-called contemporary art is not a form, but a philosophy of society.
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I spent a lot of time standing on street corners [of New York City] talking to local residents. I spent time in bookstores and galleries. But most of the time, I really did not have much to do.
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Civilization has evolved toward more acceptance, understanding and tolerance of global thinking. If we accept differences, our creativity booms. It makes life much more colorful.
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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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You start to see the society, how it functions, how it works. Then you have a lot of criticism about how it works.
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Today, we jump into this globalization of the economy and the internet age.
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No state or society can claim to have established human rights once and for all.
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Nothing is clear-cut. Perhaps I’ll find my way – or get totally lost.
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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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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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The freedom of speech is an important yardstick for a society’s level of civilization.
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Of course, there [in China] has to be chaos. It has to be crazy, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong about it except this government, which is really incapable of doing anything meaningful.
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I don’t think I was very structured in that society and I don’t really believe in personal success, which most Americans believe in.
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We should use this public sphere and redefine – beyond China’s borders – what a government is allowed to do, where its powers end and where the realm of a citizen’s privacy begins.
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I have to find a place for my own. I have to search for my own happiness.
AI WEIWEI