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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.

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
Thinking
Certainly
Conditions
Imagination
Creative
Extend
Art
Vehicle
Change
Current
Ideas
Currents
Think
Develop

More quotes by Ai Weiwei

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China didn't want to lose the cutting edge of technology. So the idea of having a Sina Weibo was an attempt to compete with Twitter. However, it has no soul - which is freedom of expression. Nevertheless, I think the government regrets having Sina Weibo, but they cannot shut it down. That would definitely be suicidal.
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I'm always interested in people who are not orientated in art circles to become part of it.
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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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It's really rubbish that some kind of technical learning means you will be a better person because you know this skill better.
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If artists cannot speak up for human dignity or rights, then who else will do it?
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I don't believe in the so-called Olympic spirit. I speak from personal experience. When China hosted the Games, it failed to include the people. The event was constructed without regard for their joy.
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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 it's quite narrow-minded. There wasn't much encouragement or opportunities for any artist - not just Chinese artists.
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Many people I know - writers, poets - they have all been sentenced not once but sometimes three times after they come out. They serve five or six years, come out another time, and then nine years. Come out again, 12 years. Only because they have a different opinion. They are innocent people, they have beautiful minds, beautiful hearts.
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Twitter is the people’s tool, the tool of the ordinary people, people who have no other resources.
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If you just turn to your paper or television each day, there are thousands of stories that are much more shocking than the gallery artworks.
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Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it.
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My image of what a city should be - the super-rich and all the poor and desperate and the people who have some kind of a desire. It's a surviving game, people trying to survive on many different levels.
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Because Chinese art is booming, it legitimizes this profession.
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In my case, I was stuck there for quite a while. New York is large enough to be a very abstract city, so nobody cares.
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Civilization has evolved toward more acceptance, understanding and tolerance of global thinking. If we accept differences, our creativity booms. It makes life much more colorful. It also makes humanity much more safe. If we see pureness somewhere as something to be desired, the trouble starts.
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It is not an easy job to govern China, I am aware of that. There are crises and emergencies all the time, we might not even be aware of some. But I am afraid we'll have to wait and observe precisely what the government is up to.
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I hope that my work expresses my worldview and encourages people to exchange ideas.
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Overturning police cars is a super-intense workout. It’s probably the only sport I enjoy.
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For me, it is OK as long as I can breathe, as long as my heart is pumping, as long as I can express myself.
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For years, I refused to go to any openings, not even my own.
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