Ai Weiwei Quotes, Directors Quotes, Moments 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

Otherwise, I think the building can be bigger, larger, and the city can be much more crazy. The problem is the government structure is so deadly stupid, not really solving problems but creating a lot of problems itself every day.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Crazy Quotes , Stupid Quotes

My understanding of Chinese history is limited. So far, I have only scratched its surface; I wish I could find out more.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Understanding Quotes , Chinese Quotes

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.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Beautiful Quotes , Fighting Quotes

We never really see the global situation as a total situation. Today's political leaders are still lacking of the vision. They very often just try to cope with their own election, their own popularity, solving the problem or selling the ideas to meet their own voters. By doing that, it creates a great imbalance in terms of making deals or treaty or all those things. Even today the borders they're seeing the physical borders are very different from the political borders. Because all those powers are so connected, and you cannot even see whose interest in what move.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Moving Quotes , Leader Quotes

I don't think I was very structured in that society and I don't really believe in personal success, which most Americans believe in.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Believe Quotes , Thinking Quotes

Imagine one day, the hateful world around you collapses. And it is your attitude, words and actions that put an end to it. Will you be excited?

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Attitude Quotes , One Day 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.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Regret Quotes , Suicidal 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

Beijing is constructing a 100,000 m2 modern art museum, yet it will not feature any of my work.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Art Quotes , Museums Quotes

I lived there [ in New York City] as an artist, but never as a Chinese artist.

6 years ago

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

I remember one little rainy day I went searching for this apartment and I saw so many people standing on a stoop on the corner in the rain. Later I realized, that was drug traffic. They were all buying drugs.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Rain Quotes , People Quotes

[Shanghai Biennale] has been my attitude for as long as I've been practicing art and other cultural-related activities.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Art Quotes , Attitude Quotes

You're still being looked at as somebody who - it's a very complicated issue.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Issues Quotes , Complicated Quotes

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

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Responsibility 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.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Powerful Quotes , Technology Quotes

I spent a lot of time standing on street corners [of New York City] talking to local residents. I spent time in bookstores and galleries. But most of the time, I really did not have much to do.

6 years ago

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

I wouldn’t say I’ve become more radical: I was born radical.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Born Quotes

I curated this show [Shanghai Biennale ], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Mean Quotes , People 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