Ai Weiwei Quotes, School Quotes, Media Quotes

The idea to use backpacks came from my visit to Sichuan after the earthquake in May 2008. During the earthquake many schools collapsed. Thousands of young students lost their lives, and you could see bags and study material everywhere. Then you realize individual life, media, and the lives of the students are serving very different purposes. The lives of the students disappeared within the state propaganda, and very soon everybody will forget everything.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , School Quotes , Media Quotes

I think art is a very important weapon to achieve human freedom

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Art Quotes , Thinking Quotes

My work is always a ready-made... cultural, political, or social, and also it could be art - to make people re-look at what we have done, its original position, to create new possibilities.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Art Quotes , People Quotes

Individual; that means he has his own special way to communicate, which creates the form of him. In the information age, this expression and communication has become so different.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Communication Quotes , Mean Quotes

Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Ties Quotes , Political Quotes

Mass production is nothing new. Weren't cathedrals built through mass production? The pyramids?... Paintings can be painted with the left hand, the right hand, someone else's hand, or many people's hands. The scale of production is irrelevant to its content.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Hands Quotes , Pyramids Quotes

Selling high or low doesn't mean anything. It has to do purely with the market.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Mean Quotes , Selling Quotes

To call yourself a Chinese artist or woman artist or African artist reflects a certain kind of condition. To me, that is not necessary.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Artist Quotes , Chinese Quotes

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.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , New York Quotes , Cities Quotes

After I came back [to China], there was still a long period of time when I felt I had nothing to do.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Long Quotes , China Quotes

Everyone thinks the Chinese government selected me. Never ever. I was selected by Herzog and de Meuron.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Thinking Quotes , Government Quotes

The world is sphere, has no East or West.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , East Quotes , World Quotes

To express yourself needs a reason, but expressing yourself is the reason.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Needs Quotes , Reason Quotes

The world is not changing if you don’t shoulder the burden of responsibility.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Responsibility Quotes , World Quotes

Cities really are mental conditions. Beijing is a nightmare. A constant nightmare.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Cities Quotes , Nightmare Quotes

I don’t want the next generation to fight the same fight as I did.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Fighting Quotes , Generations Quotes

A small act is worth a million thoughts.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Motivational Quotes , Wise Quotes

It [success] is really by mistake.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes

I believe [the architecture firm] Herzog and de Meuron and our collaboration made the product the best it could be.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Believe Quotes , Collaboration Quotes

There's no single artwork I even want to mention or that I can even really think about it to have any feeling, to be proud of it.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Thinking Quotes , Feelings Quotes