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China partially wants to become part of the world. By hosting the Olympics and the Expo, they made a big effort to tell people: Look, we are the same. They want to be accepted by the international community.

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
People
Bigs
Partially
Tell
Olympics
Become
Accepted
Part
China
Look
International
Looks
Wants
Made
Effort
World
Community
Hosting

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This so-called fame or being better off doesn't really attract me at all.
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I never regret anything.
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The Internet has established a public sphere and developed a pressure which the government can no longer ignore.
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...photographs are facts, but not necessarily true... The present always surpasses the past, and the future will not care about today.
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When I first got into the first-year study after the Cultural Revolution, got into the same school with this group, I wasn't conscious of the so-called Fifth Generation. I didn't like that kind of study condition because there's no real, true education there.
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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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What is important is that we actively express our thoughts and wishes, in every realm that we can access.
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Mass production is nothing new. Weren't cathedrals built through mass production? The pyramids?... Paintings can be painted with the left hand, the right hand, someone else's hand, or many people's hands. The scale of production is irrelevant to its content.
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My typical day is I wake up and appreciate that I can still wake up.
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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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Creativity is the power to act.
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I don't think China has professional museums - not in the past, present, or near future.
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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’m an artist who is always looking for what is possible. I’m always looking to extend the boundaries.
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No matter what happens, nothing can prevent the historical process by which society demands freedom and democracy.
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If artists cannot speak up for human dignity or rights, then who else will do it?
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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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I'm most embarrassed at my art shows, even though I don't show it.
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