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I don’t care if this is a great cultural event or a national symbol. It has nothing to do with me. It deals with the city.

Ai Weiwei

I think by shattering it we can create a new form, a new way to look at what is valuable – how we decide what is valuable.
AI WEIWEI

Decide Looks New Shattering Thinking Valuable Way
I think Allen [Ginsberg] was a person who’s like a child.
AI WEIWEI

Child Children Ginsberg Person Thinking
Destroy or build. Crazy or noncrazy. I’m not nostalgic about the old city. I don’t enjoy it that much.
AI WEIWEI

Cities Crazy Destroy Enjoy Much Nostalgic
The so-called culture nowadays is only a fake one with a superficial front. It is an empty lie.
AI WEIWEI

Culture Empty Fake Lie Lying Nowadays
Whenever there is injustice, there is tension. But in China it is very hard to release your anger unless you burn yourself or you jump from a bridge. In a society where there is no freedom of the press, it is difficult for victims to be noticed.
AI WEIWEI

Anger Bridge Burn Injustice Release Tension Unless Victim
To express yourself needs a reason, but expressing yourself is the reason.
AI WEIWEI

Express Need Reason Yourself
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 WEIWEI

Always Art Been Communication Definition Expression Freedom Same Wall
It’s really rubbish that some kind of “technical” learning means you will be a better person because you know this skill better.
AI WEIWEI

Better Learning Mean Person Rubbish Skill Technical
Choices after waking up: To be true or to lie? To take action or be brainwashed? To be free or be jailed?
AI WEIWEI

Brainwashed Choice Free Jailed Lying Wake Walking
I curated this show [Shanghai Biennale ], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial.
AI WEIWEI

Controversial Curated Mean People Shock Trying
And who is going to win the competition if U.S. cannot hold a strong ideology? And even the U.S. would’ve lost the ground to win.
AI WEIWEI

Competition Ground Hold Ideology Lost Strong Win
Nothing is clear-cut. Perhaps I’ll find my way – or get totally lost.
AI WEIWEI

Clear Lost Nothing Perhaps Totally Way
I 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.
AI WEIWEI

Emotion Emotional Man More Old Physical Poetry Problem Together
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

Contribute Government Individual Long Made People Thinking
The intention to separate art from politics is itself a very political intention.
AI WEIWEI

Intension Intention Political Politics Separate
Of course, most luxury goods in China are for corrupted officials and their relatives. And that made China become the biggest luxury-goods market.
AI WEIWEI

Country Course Easy Good Kind Luxury Made Relative
After I came back [to China], there was still a long period of time when I felt I had nothing to do.
AI WEIWEI

China Long Periods
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.
AI WEIWEI

Country Democracy Granted Liberty Think Today True Worse
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.
AI WEIWEI

Contradictory Feeling Home Identity Question Require Sense Trust
People have been longing for this moment, because it symbolises a turning point in China’s relationship with the outside world.
AI WEIWEI

Country Longing Moment Outside People Relationship Symbolises Turning World
If civil society has nobody who protects the law, then what kind of society is that?
AI WEIWEI

Kind Law Nobody Protect Society
These are nonviolent people who have lost their freedom simply because they expressed their ideas….In truth, they are heroes of our time.
AI WEIWEI

Expressed Freedom Hero Idea Lost Nonviolent People Truth
The practice of photography is no longer a means for recording reality. Instead, it has become reality itself
AI WEIWEI

Itself Mean Photography Practice Reality Recording
The relationship between the Chinese government and me is like a Cold War.
AI WEIWEI

Chinese Cold Government Relationship War
If a nation cannot face its past, it has no future.
AI WEIWEI

Face Future Nation Past
In China, we don’t have any contemporary art museums. Until a few years ago, we didn’t even have a gallery.
AI WEIWEI

Ago Art Contemporary Museum Until Year
I don’t personally feel any association with a kind of culture related to state, or culture related to power, which I think is always disgusting.
AI WEIWEI

Association Culture Feel Kind Personality Power Related State Thinking

I don’t care if this is a great cultural event or a national symbol. It has nothing to do with me. It deals with the city.

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I don’t care if this is a great cultural event or a national symbol. It has nothing to do with me. It deals with the city.

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