I think it’s a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression and to use any way to extend this power.
AI WEIWEISelling high or low doesn’t mean anything. It has to do purely with the market.
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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Now you have the equal opportunity to equip yourself through information and knowledge and express yourself as an independent mind.
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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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Just look at the statistics: Each university has tens of thousands of applications for students who want to be in art school, but they can only accept a few hundred.
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If civil society has nobody who protects the law, then what kind of society is that?
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The rest of the world understands little about China’s changes and the possibilities and crises that come with them.
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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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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.
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Nationality started as something natural, but we should not be restrained by the old politics that make up these clear lines. It should have its own way of evolving. In some places, it will evolve slower and in others, faster.
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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.
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Many people are going to use [Beijing National Stadium], which makes it more meaningful. If we don’t design it, somebody else has to design it.
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The relationship between the Chinese government and me is like a Cold War.
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I think it’s quite narrow-minded. There wasn’t much encouragement or opportunities for any artist – not just Chinese artists.
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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 can never know what is and what is not powerful, but you can always find out what the powerful people are scared of.
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If I really have nothing to do, I just watch my cats, take some photos, and go back to my personal blog.
AI WEIWEI