Ai Weiwei Quotes, Years Quotes, Opening Quotes

For years, I refused to go to any openings, not even my own.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Years Quotes , Opening Quotes

I'm not nostalgic about the old city. I don't enjoy it that much. It was just a city with one emperor and the rest of them just rats or meaningless people.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Cities Quotes , People Quotes

I don't think China has professional museums - not in the past, present, or near future.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Past Quotes , Thinking Quotes

Art is always about overcoming obstacles between the inner condition and the skill for expression.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Art Quotes , Expression Quotes

How to become a really modern society when today we are so - as a human being, we feel so powerful. We have high technology and a superb way of controlling our life. And at the same time, in many ways we are so primitive. We are not on - even just a step away from the most brutal and primitive crudity. To be very crude on those issues, which is always challenges and we always have to look at the situation like a mirror, to draw some understanding.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Powerful Quotes , Technology Quotes

All the rich people collect traditional Chinese art. So it's very natural for Chinese families to still see art as the highest human performance and send their children to this field.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Art Quotes , Children Quotes

I think you can give meaning to any condition; you can be poor or unsuccessful or be so-called successful. But I don't think that it would give an individual human being a better condition.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Successful Quotes , Thinking Quotes

Say what you say plainly, and then take responsibility for it.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Responsibility Quotes

A lot of the time [in the U.S.], I was thinking about how spending time is always questionable or is always the biggest obstacle in my life.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Thinking Quotes , Obstacles Quotes

There is no media freedom in China. As a result, the society is corrupt and lacks productivity. It is unable to adjust itself for progress. This will lead to the country's eventual downfall.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Country Quotes , Media Quotes

I never really read Allen Ginsberg poetry, even though I have a book he gave me.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Book 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.

5 years ago

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

Once I was in New York, I completely had no interest for a long time in what happened in China because I had been through so much. Seeing my father's life struggle and so many whole generations lose their potential or possibility in their lives. Just being pushed into this political struggle and the damage done not only to their lives but their relatives.

5 years ago

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

Maybe being powerful means to be fragile.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Powerful Quotes , Recovery Quotes

Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming even more unpredictable. There's no such thing as "fixed" culture. China is also becoming more global. Its problems are becoming international problems, becoming German problems, becoming American problems. Nothing is clear-cut. Perhaps I'll find my way - or get totally lost.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Culture Quotes , Problem Quotes

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

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Long Quotes , China Quotes

I think by shattering it we can create a new form, a new way to look at what is valuable — how we decide what is valuable.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Thinking Quotes , Looks Quotes

The IT people who have made such an effort to know and understand computer technology. They are frustrated that you cannot use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in China. They are the first to recognize that the situation is terrible.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Technology Quotes , People Quotes

Just look at the statistics: Each university has tens of thousands of applications for students who want to be in art school, but they can only accept a few hundred.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Art Quotes , School Quotes

China didn't want to lose the cutting edge of technology. So the idea of having a Sina Weibo was an attempt to compete with Twitter. However, it has no soul - which is freedom of expression. Nevertheless, I think the government regrets having Sina Weibo, but they cannot shut it down. That would definitely be suicidal.

5 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Regret Quotes , Suicidal Quotes