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If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?

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
Sorrow
Pain
Art
Nothing
People

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Everything is art. Everything is politics.
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These are nonviolent people who have lost their freedom simply because they expressed their ideas….In truth, they are heroes of our time.
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Dont retreat. Retweet!
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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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I believe [the architecture firm] Herzog and de Meuron and our collaboration made the product the best it could be.
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A society is healthy only when it allows its members to discuss their thoughts openly. This is also the only way that a society can gather consensus, let everyone express his or her wish, and foster creativity.
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I hope that my work expresses my worldview and encourages people to exchange ideas.
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Twitter is most suitable for me. In the Chinese language, 140 characters is a novella.
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All movies in China are censored. Out of 600 movies produced in China, only 60 are allowed to show in theatres.
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I don't think [price] reflects if the work is good or bad.A good artist shouldn't be nervous about that.
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I lived there [ in New York City] as an artist, but never as a Chinese artist.
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China hasn't only existed for one day. Now, the whole nation has become richer and it's become a problem. The problem is universal. The factor is big. Everybody has to rethink the balance of the world and the whole landscape.
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We see the tendency in the world to criticise democracy and sometimes even to say that authoritarian countries like China are more efficient. That is very short-sighted. China looks efficient only because it can sacrifice most people's rights. This is not something the west should be happy about.
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I think by not letting young people be fully informed, how can they have energy and passion and the right picture of the world? I think that's the true crime.
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If artists cannot speak up for human dignity or rights, then who else will do it?
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The world is not changing if you don’t shoulder the burden of responsibility.
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Just look at the statistics: Each university has tens of thousands of applications for students who want to be in art school, but they can only accept a few hundred.
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There are many cases and layers of racist behavior in the US - from police treatment to the issues of education and job opportunities. In America, however, such cases are being discussed publically.
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