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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.

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
Shows
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China
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West
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More quotes by Ai Weiwei

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I loved New York — every inch of it. It was a little bit scary at that time, but still, the excitement was so strong — visually and intellectually. It was like a monster.
Ai Weiwei
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There are no outdoor sports as graceful as throwing stones at a dictatorship.
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If a master, a wise and experienced man, wields a great weapon, that's beautiful. He can serve peace with it. But if someone's emotions are imbalanced, even if he has the best equipment, he will still mean danger. Modern technology requires calm. You shouldn't trust anyone with a car who has no knowledge about vehicles or roads.
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All the auction houses care about is the selling of luxury goods.
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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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The world is not changing if you don’t shoulder the burden of responsibility.
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Life is much more interesting when you make a little bit of effort.
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Even though everybody who looked at me would call me a Chinese artist, that's the 1980s. New York in the '80s was not so interesting. I think it's quite narrow-minded. There wasn't much encouragement or opportunities for any artist - not just Chinese artists.
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I never had secure, belonging feelings with this society [in China].
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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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This so-called contemporary art is not a form, but a philosophy of society.
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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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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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Once you've tasted freedom, it stays in your heart and no one can take it. Then, you can be more powerful than a whole country.
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To express yourself needs a reason, but expressing yourself is the reason.
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This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the quality of their lives.
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Society becomes very destructive.
Ai Weiwei
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Say what you say plainly, and then take responsibility for it.
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We should use this public sphere and redefine - beyond China's borders - what a government is allowed to do, where its powers end and where the realm of a citizen's privacy begins.
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I believe [the architecture firm] Herzog and de Meuron and our collaboration made the product the best it could be.
Ai Weiwei