I came back [to Beijing ] because that’s the only time I had an excuse to come back, or otherwise I would never have a reason to come back.
AI WEIWEINew York has given me a lot, but I still don’t consider it home.
More Ai Weiwei Quotes
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I wouldn’t say I’ve become more radical: I was born radical.
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It’s like the mountains, the ocean and the rivers. It has its own geological forms. Societies cannot be flat. But during change, human rights, human dignity and free speech have to be protected. Otherwise, we’ll be going backward.
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If there’s the right condition, I always want to express the concept or ideas in a very independent way.
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The museums used to be exhibition halls for government propaganda, and now every city wants to build a museum.
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This week, the world gathers in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic games. This is the extraordinary moment China has been dreaming of for 100 years.
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The United States is a melting pot. Like John F. Kennedy said, it’s a nation of immigrants. But Donald Trump wants to build a fence that clearly makes the statement: “You and I are divided.
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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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Now many enterprises are made by individuals, so the attitude has started to change.
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The whole attitude of society has become much more open and realistic. They realize that the only way to make a more democratic and free society is to let different opinions come out.
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I spend a lot of time talking to journalists.
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Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it. I don’t feel that much anger. I equally have a lot of joy.
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If it’s possible, I will have some noodles in the morning and start talking to people, start to think about a few things in my head.
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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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We have to give our opinion, we have to say something, or we are a part of it. As an artist I am forced to say something.
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The motivation is really to say people can find the game of getting involved interesting and find the problem and really have the passion and the enthusiasm to solve it and move forward, but that’s all I know.
AI WEIWEI






