Quote

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.

Ai Weiwei

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

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
Allowed
Spheres
China
Realm
Citizens
Citizen
Beyond
Realms
Public
Privacy
Use
Borders
Ends
Powers
Redefine
Government
Begins
Sphere

More quotes by Ai Weiwei

Image
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.
Ai Weiwei
Image
I wouldn’t say I’ve become more radical: I was born radical.
Ai Weiwei
Image
Say what you say plainly, and then take responsibility for it.
Ai Weiwei
Image
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.
Ai Weiwei
Image
The misconception of totalitarianism is that freedom can be imprisoned. This is not the case. When you constrain freedom, freedom will take flight and land on a windowsill.
Ai Weiwei
Image
[Cultural departments] don't care about culture. Maybe they're the furthest from the people who understand culture.
Ai Weiwei
Image
I always want to design a frame that’s open to everyone. I don’t see art as a secret code.
Ai Weiwei
Image
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.
Ai Weiwei
Image
Being an artist is more of a mindset, a way of seeing things it is no longer so much about producing something.
Ai Weiwei
Image
China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.
Ai Weiwei
Image
If we all say the same thing, then I think the government has to listen. But because no one is saying it, I become singled out, even though what I'm saying is common sense. It's very essential values that we all have to protect. But in Chinese society, people are giving up on protecting these values.
Ai Weiwei
Image
Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it. I don’t feel that much anger. I equally have a lot of joy.
Ai Weiwei
Image
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.
Ai Weiwei
Image
The world is sphere, has no East or West.
Ai Weiwei
Image
If a society cannot even support somebody like me, then people ask: Who is under protection then? That's why there is such support for me. It is not because I am so beautiful or I am so charming. People feel: This guy is fighting for us.
Ai Weiwei
Image
There are no outdoor sports as graceful as throwing stones at a dictatorship.
Ai Weiwei
Image
We are living in a popular culture where everything is overexposed.
Ai Weiwei
Image
I am very much interested in the so-called useless object. I mean, it takes perfect craftsmanship, beautiful material carefully measured and crafted, but at the same time it’s really useless.
Ai Weiwei
Image
The Internet is uncontrollable. And if the Internet is uncontrollable, freedom will win. It's as simple as that.
Ai Weiwei
Image
Maybe being powerful means to be fragile.
Ai Weiwei