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The practice of photography is no longer a means for recording reality. Instead, it has become reality itself

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
Instead
Longer
Practice
Means
Reality
Become
Mean
Recording
Photography

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The fantasy we had with pearls was always so luxurious and unique with a kind of rareness.
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I always want to design a frame that’s open to everyone. I don’t see art as a secret code.
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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 think it’s a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression and to use any way to extend this power.
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Now many enterprises are made by individuals, so the attitude has started to change.
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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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It is not an easy job to govern China, I am aware of that.
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China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.
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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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When you have strict censorship of the internet, young students cannot receive a full education. Their view of the world is imbalanced. There can be no true discussion of the issues.
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Somehow, we [ Tan Dun and director Chen Kaige] were all privileged at the time we could be outside of China. But at the moment, we had no sense of what the future was going to be like.
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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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Even if I have hundreds of things to do, the disconnected feeling is still there because it is very hard to find a real purpose of life.
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At the moment about 350,000 students return to China from abroad each year - 350,000 young and educated people. I know about them because they know me and often ask me in the street if they can take a selfie with me. These folks are creative and ironic, and the government can ultimately not control what is going on in their heads.
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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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Everyone of us is a potential convict.
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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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If there is no freedom of expression, then the beauty of life is lost. Participation in a society is not an artistic choice, it’s a human need.
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As a total activity - I practice curating, art, architecture, writing, and publishing all together. I still act as a living creature.
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Everyone thinks the Chinese government selected me. Never ever. I was selected by Herzog and de Meuron.
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