This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the quality of their lives.
AI WEIWEII saw [Allen Ginsberg] more as an old man who liked poetry and who had a lot of physical and emotional problems. We liked our time together.
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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Politics is like air and water. And you know if there is bad politics. Everyone is polluted. Everyone is unhealthy. See the people walking on the street: how they act.
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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.
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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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Growing up, my family was an enemy of the state. I have experienced more disappointment than joy, much more sad stories or desperate conditions.
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You don’t have to march on Tiananmen, but you do have to be clear-minded, to find your own means of expression.
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I’m totally independent. I don’t bear any responsibility to any system.
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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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[Being unique] gives so much privilege to people who can make it, rather than having some moral and aesthetic discussions.
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It’s very essential values that we all have to protect. But in Chinese society, people are giving up on protecting these values.
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[Cultural departments] don’t care about culture. Maybe they’re the furthest from the people who understand culture.
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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.
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Life is much more interesting when you make a little bit of effort.
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I think the government regrets having Sina Weibo, but they cannot shut it down. That would definitely be suicidal.
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I don’t think [price] reflects if the work is good or bad.A good artist shouldn’t be nervous about that.
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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.
AI WEIWEI