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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.

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
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Street
Galleries
Time
York
Bookstores
Standing
Residents
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Local
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Corners

More quotes by Ai Weiwei

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Dictatorship is a story about death of others who turn out to be you coincidently.
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Creativity is the power to reject the past, to change the status quo, and to seek new potential. Simply put, aside from using one's imagination - perhaps more importantly - creativity is the power to act.
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To the media, I have become a symbolic figure, critical of China. According to the government, I am a dangerous threat.
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It [success] is really by mistake.
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I have people working together, doing different things: architecture, art installation, photography, publishing, and curatorial works and design.
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Freedom of speech implies the world isn’t defined. It is meaningful when people are allowed to see the world their way.
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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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Beijing is constructing a 100,000 m2 modern art museum, yet it will not feature any of my work.
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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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My mother became much older when I came out (ed's note: of detention). She had problems with her hearing and high blood pressure. But they still support me.
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Without freedom of speech, there is no modern world, just a barbaric one.
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Being an artist is more of a mindset, a way of seeing things it is no longer so much about producing something.
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You can never know what is and what is not powerful, but you can always find out what the powerful people are scared of. A state like China looks so powerful, but they are so scared of the Internet, so the Internet is more powerful than them.
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There are many cases and layers of racist behavior in the US - from police treatment to the issues of education and job opportunities. In America, however, such cases are being discussed publically.
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Man has a tendency to try to give clear reasons to be rational, but often you can see how all those reasons are not convincing and turn out to be a big nonsense.
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The biggest obstacle in interacting with China is the difference in perspectives about basic values. These include issues such as human rights, the concept of law and constitution.
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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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The American experience influenced my understanding of individuality, basic human rights, freedom of expression and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
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