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Self-censorship is insulting to the self. Timidity is a hopeless way forward.

Ai Weiwei

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Ai Weiwei
Age: 67
Born: 1957
Born: May 18
Architect
Consultant
Contemporary Artist
Designer
Film Director
Human Rights Activist
Painter
Photographer
Sculptor
Social Activist
Peking
Wei-wei Ai
Weiwei Ai
Ai Wei Wei
Way
Timidity
Insulting
Censorship
Hopeless
Forward
Self

More quotes by Ai Weiwei

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China seems unpredictable because it has a distinct culture and social system. It is still a mystery to other parts of the world, even though the veil of China has been lifted many times as a result of globalization.
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I never really read Allen Ginsberg poetry, even though I have a book he gave me.
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If civil society has nobody who protects the law, then what kind of society is that?
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Creativity is the power to reject the past, to change the status quo, and to seek new potential. Simply put, aside from using one's imagination - perhaps more importantly - creativity is the power to act.
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I think everybody deserves freedom. Freedom is such an abstract word, but it's all we need.
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China and the U.S. are two societies with very different attitudes towards opinion and criticism. In China, I am constantly under surveillance. Even my slightest, most innocuous move can - and often is - censored by Chinese authorities.
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Today, the general masses in this society are in this political-social condition that really encourages people to become rich and become a star and be unique.
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Even if there have been setbacks during these past years, China is changing. China's society is opening.
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For all the tough talk about China during the presidential debates, Romney and Obama evaded any mention of China's suspect human rights record, corruption, and rule of law. By not tackling these controversial topics, the candidates are protecting a strategic partnership with China at the expense of essential human values and beliefs.
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Everyone wants an iPhone, but it would be impossible to design an iPhone in China because it's not a product it's an understanding of human nature.
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I think art certainly is the vehicle for us to develop any new ideas, to be creative, to extend our imagination, to change the current conditions.
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As a human being, member of society, you must clearly state your mind. It's a responsibility. It is the way you identify yourself otherwise you don't know who you are and why you are here.
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Freedom of expression is a very essential condition for me to make any art. Also, it is an essential value for my life. I have to protect this right and also to fight for the possibility.
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I think of art as coming from daily life, daily experience. I think it's very important not to have it become work for some kind of elite circle.
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I am very much interested in the so-called useless object. I mean, it takes perfect craftsmanship, beautiful material carefully measured and crafted, but at the same time it’s really useless.
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This so-called fame or being better off doesn't really attract me at all.
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This so-called contemporary art is not a form, but a philosophy of society.
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Warhol influenced me because of his writing. If I had never read his writings and interviews, I would never have understood his work.
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In a society that restricts individual freedoms and violates human rights, anything that calls itself creative or independent is a pretence. It is impossible for a totalitarian society to create anything with passion and imagination.
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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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