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For years, I refused to go to any openings, not even my own.

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
Openings
Refused
Opening
Even
Years

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I want people to see their own power.
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The world is not changing if you don’t shoulder the burden of responsibility.
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To express yourself needs a reason, but expressing yourself is the reason.
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This so-called contemporary art is not a form, but a philosophy of society.
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China and the U.S. are two societies with very different attitudes towards opinion and criticism. In China, I am constantly under surveillance. Even my slightest, most innocuous move can - and often is - censored by Chinese authorities.
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[Cultural departments] don't care about culture. Maybe they're the furthest from the people who understand culture.
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Overturning police cars is a super-intense workout. It’s probably the only sport I enjoy.
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Any politician who respects China's government should tell it openly what is in his heart. It is disrespectful to keep quiet about such issues - both vis-a-vis the government and the people concerned.
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There is no media freedom in China. As a result, the society is corrupt and lacks productivity. It is unable to adjust itself for progress. This will lead to the country's eventual downfall.
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In my case, I was stuck there for quite a while. New York is large enough to be a very abstract city, so nobody cares.
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Life is much more interesting when you make a little bit of effort.
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I don’t want the next generation to fight the same fight as I did.
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You need a purpose to express yourself, but that expression is its own purpose.
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I remember one little rainy day I went searching for this apartment and I saw so many people standing on a stoop on the corner in the rain. Later I realized, that was drug traffic. They were all buying drugs.
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All the auction houses care about is the selling of luxury goods.
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I also have to speak out for people around me who are afraid, who think it is not worth it or who have totally given up hope. So I want to set an example: you can do it and this is OK, to speak out.
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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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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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You're still being looked at as somebody who - it's a very complicated issue.
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I always admire writers. My father was a writer, a poet. I always admire people who can clearly state their mind.
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