Ai Weiwei Quotes, Art Quotes, Thinking Quotes

I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has never had any clear orientation.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Art Quotes , Thinking 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 always thought that in modern history Chinese people are like a dish of sand, never really close together. But I think a dish of sand is a good metaphor because we have the Internet. We don't have to be physically united. You can be an individual and have your own set of values but join others in certain struggles. There is nothing more powerful than that.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Powerful Quotes , Struggle Quotes

At the moment about 350,000 students return to China from abroad each year - 350,000 young and educated people. I know about them because they know me and often ask me in the street if they can take a selfie with me. These folks are creative and ironic, and the government can ultimately not control what is going on in their heads.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Government Quotes , Years Quotes

By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Way Quotes , World Quotes

It's really rubbish that some kind of "technical" learning means you will be a better person because you know this skill better.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Mean Quotes , Skills Quotes

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.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Law Quotes , Justice 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

My image of what a city should be - the super-rich and all the poor and desperate and the people who have some kind of a desire. It's a surviving game, people trying to survive on many different levels.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Games Quotes , Cities Quotes

No matter what happens, nothing can prevent the historical process by which society demands freedom and democracy.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Historical Quotes , Democracy Quotes

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.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Exercise Quotes , People Quotes

Any design, any city, any kind of craziness or tragedy, it all comes from a long time of preparation.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Cities Quotes , Long Quotes

I think the pearls - one is a necklace, and another you have five hundred pounds of pearls, which may be one million pearls in a bowl - really show a kind of [society] condition.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Thinking Quotes , Necklaces Quotes

If I look at it, I would laugh. I don't know how I became successful.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Successful Quotes , Laughing Quotes

Somehow, we [ Tan Dun and director Chen Kaige] were all privileged at the time; we could be outside of China. But at the moment, we had no sense of what the future was going to be like.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Directors Quotes , Moments Quotes

I grew up in a desert, which has no kind of imagination.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Imagination Quotes , Desert Quotes

It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road and what is the limit.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Matter Quotes , Limits Quotes

This so-called fame or being better off doesn't really attract me at all.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Fame Quotes

You need a purpose to express yourself, but that expression is its own purpose.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Expression Quotes , Needs Quotes

Civilization has evolved toward more acceptance, understanding and tolerance of global thinking. If we accept differences, our creativity booms. It makes life much more colorful. It also makes humanity much more safe. If we see pureness somewhere as something to be desired, the trouble starts.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Creativity Quotes , Acceptance Quotes