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Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.

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
Freedom
Ties
Lives
Bound
Individual
Bounds
Political
Limits
Physical
Familial
Conditions
Geographical
Beyond
Restrictions
Takes
Restriction

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Creativity is part of human nature. It can only be untaught.
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I spent a lot of time standing on street corners [of New York City] talking to local residents. I spent time in bookstores and galleries. But most of the time, I really did not have much to do.
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Cities really are mental conditions. Beijing is a nightmare. A constant nightmare.
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Behind every political deal in this country, the first casualties are always the ordinary people, who are barely treated as human.
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As a person, I was born to give out my opinions. By giving out my opinions, I realize who I am. As long as I can communicate, I'm not so lonely. If I cannot travel, or do art, or have company, if they take away all my belongings, it doesn't matter at all.
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I don’t want the next generation to fight the same fight as I did.
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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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Life is never guaranteed to be safe, so we better use it while we are still in good condition.
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Maybe being powerful means to be fragile.
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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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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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Hopefully, other successes aren't like me. It carries much more meaning to other people my success story is irrelevant. It doesn't make any sense.
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Selling high or low doesn't mean anything. It has to do purely with the market.
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I never really read Allen Ginsberg poetry, even though I have a book he gave me.
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China has not established the rule of law and if there is a power above the law there is no social justice. Everybody can be subjected to harm. I'm just a citizen: my life is equal in value to any other. But I'm thankful that when I lost my freedom so many people shared feelings and put such touching effort into helping me.
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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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I can still wake up the next day and feel that there's something that needs to be done, which always amuses me.
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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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To experience poetry is to see over and above reality. It is to discover that which is beyond the physical, to experience another life and another level of feeling. It is to wonder about the world, to understand the nature of people and, most importantly, to be shared with another, old or young, known or unknown.
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I think optimism is whether you are still exhilarated by life, whether you are curious, whether you still believe there is possibility.
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