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If human rights are supposed to have any meaning, then they have to be discussed openly.

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
Humans
Discussed
Openly
Supposed
Meaning
Rights
Human

More quotes by Ai Weiwei

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This week, the world gathers in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic games. This is the extraordinary moment China has been dreaming of for 100 years. People have been longing for this moment, because it symbolises a turning point in China's relationship with the outside world.
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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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This so-called contemporary art is not a form, but a philosophy of society.
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Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it.
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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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China restricts the society's freedom of speech. The Communist Party imposes these limits because it lacks confidence towards the future and has no ideals. Nowadays, China is experiencing the detrimental effects of such decisions. Its citizens have no creativity.
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I never think any place is better than others.
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China is an old nation with a colourful history. Its booming economy has triggered an appetite and a curiosity around the world for its art and culture, one that continues to grow. I can, however, tell people that it is a show with no actor.
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I don't think my father had a direct influence on me, but I do think, more or less, I was influenced by his independent individualism. And the kind of condition he had when he was in this society - the kind of mistreatment society gave him.
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Anyone fighting for freedom does not want to totally lose their freedom.
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I want people to see their own power.
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I also doubt a man can give really clear reasons for anything.
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I suddenly realized I was getting ten opening notes a day on my mobile phone, more than when I was in New York. But this is China, where nothing is surprising.
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To give a price to an artwork, no matter how high or low, is always absurd. It's not something that can be measured by money or by certain numbers.
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What counts in the end is what the government does.
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If artists cannot speak up for human dignity or rights, then who else will do it?
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It is not an easy job to govern China, I am aware of that. There are crises and emergencies all the time, we might not even be aware of some. But I am afraid we'll have to wait and observe precisely what the government is up to.
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The rest of the world understands little about China's changes and the possibilities and crises that come with them.
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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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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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