Behind every political deal in this country, the first casualties are always the ordinary people, who are barely treated as human.
AI WEIWEIIf artists cannot speak up for human dignity or rights, then who else will do it?
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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If my art has nothing to do with people’s pain and sorrow, what is ‘art’ for?
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Had I to create a name for these times, I’d say it is the age of craziness
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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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So, the politicians and the people who make decisions very often is the one we think can make some difference. But of course they will not make a difference if the citizens or the individuals not push it or not to speak out, to possess a very strong voice about, this is not acceptable.
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I’m just bringing them to Kassel to see the art show, and pay their room and board.
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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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A state like China looks so powerful, but they are so scared of the Internet, so the Internet is more powerful than them.
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I grew up in a desert, which has no kind of imagination.
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Imagine one day, the hateful world around you collapses. And it is your attitude, words and actions that put an end to it. Will you be excited?
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People who can’t do that don’t get a sense of responsibility. And if you lack a sense of responsibility, you push the blame onto the system.
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By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.
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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.
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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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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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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.
AI WEIWEI