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Art needs to stand for something.

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
Needs
Something
Stand
Art

More quotes by Ai Weiwei

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I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.
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It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road and what is the limit.
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Liberty is about the right to question everything.
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In a society like this there is no negotiation, no discussion, except to tell you that power can crush you any time they want — not only you, your whole family and all people like you.
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Expressing oneself is like a drug. I'm so addicted to it.
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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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Life is never guaranteed to be safe, so we better use it while we are still in good condition.
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Artists are the worst [people]. They are selfish, self-centred they don't care what happens.
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I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has never had any clear orientation.
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To express yourself needs a reason, but expressing yourself is the reason.
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Anyone fighting for freedom does not want to totally lose their freedom.
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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, he will still mean danger. Modern technology requires calm. You shouldn't trust anyone with a car who has no knowledge about vehicles or roads.
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I think the pearls - one is a necklace, and another you have five hundred pounds of pearls, which may be one million pearls in a bowl - really show a kind of [society] condition.
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Everything is selected by the central government without good judgment or an understanding of culture to make it really safe. They will become nobody to maintain their power and be raised to the next higher level.
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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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A city is a place that can offer maximum freedom. Otherwise it’s incomplete.
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Whenever there is injustice, there is tension. But in China it is very hard to release your anger unless you burn yourself or you jump from a bridge. In a society where there is no freedom of the press, it is difficult for victims to be noticed.
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To call yourself a Chinese artist or woman artist or African artist reflects a certain kind of condition. To me, that is not necessary.
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I don't think China should care if this crazy old guy should have a show here or not. You have so many museums in the West, and so many shows, you need somebody to show the work, otherwise it's empty.
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Without freedom of speech, there is no modern world, just a barbaric one.
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