Ai Weiwei Quotes

I spent a lot of time standing on street corners [of New York City] talking to local residents. I spent time in bookstores and galleries. But most of the time, I really did not have much to do.

Now I’ve come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming even more unpredictable.

This is a very general understanding of art in China, that being an artist can make you money and turn you into a star.

I always want to design a frame that’s open to everyone. I don’t see art as a secret code.

To work in architecture you are so much involved with society, with politics, with bureaucrats. It’s a very complicated process to do large projects.

If a master, a wise and experienced man, wields a great weapon, that’s beautiful. He can serve peace with it. But if someone’s emotions are imbalanced, even if he has the best equipment,

If a nation cannot face its past, it has no future.

Even though everybody who looked at me would call me a Chinese artist, that’s the 1980s. New York in the ’80s was not so interesting.

I think the government regrets having Sina Weibo, but they cannot shut it down. That would definitely be suicidal.

And the kind of condition he had when he was in this society – the kind of mistreatment society gave him.