Ai Weiwei Quotes, Keys Quotes, Hands Quotes

In the '80s, you couldn't walk in the neighborhood without looking back to see if anyone was following you. You had your key in your hand before you got to your apartment and you'd rush in so you didn't have to stop.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Keys Quotes , Hands Quotes

Widespread state control over art and culture has left no room for freedom of expression in the country. For more than 60 years, anyone with a dissenting opinion has been suppressed. Chinese art is merely a product: it avoids any meaningful engagement. There is no larger context. Its only purpose is to charm viewers with its ambiguity.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Meaningful Quotes , Country Quotes

The deadly weapon against totalitarian society is openness - doing everything very openly on the Internet, letting people know every detail, any little development. Once it is out there, everybody can make their own judgement. [Therefore] holding a trial outside the court. I think that is fairness, that is justice, that is a civil society. Otherwise call it an evil society because everything is hidden.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Thinking Quotes , People Quotes

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.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Land Quotes , Flight Quotes

A city is a place that can offer maximum freedom. Otherwise it’s incomplete.

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Cities Quotes , Incomplete Quotes

If human rights are supposed to have any meaning, then they have to be discussed openly.

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Rights Quotes , Human Rights 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

Warhol influenced me because of his writing. If I had never read his writings and interviews, I would never have understood his work.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Writing Quotes , Interviews Quotes

Stupidity can win for a moment, but it can never really succeed because the nature of humans is to seek freedom. Rulers can delay that freedom, but they cannot stop it.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Winning Quotes , Stupidity Quotes

Everything is selected by the central government without good judgment or an understanding of culture to make it really safe. They will become nobody to maintain their power and be raised to the next higher level.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Government Quotes , Understanding Quotes

When you have strict censorship of the internet, young students cannot receive a full education. Their view of the world is imbalanced. There can be no true discussion of the issues.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Issues Quotes , Views Quotes

Of course, people will call you an old artist or young artist, which is just a character of you. But personally, I don't think my work and my understanding of art is so much related to being Chinese, but the character of that. Maybe it's beyond my own consciousness.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Art Quotes , Character Quotes

The American experience influenced my understanding of individuality, basic human rights, freedom of expression and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Responsibility Quotes , Rights Quotes

Warhol came from an ordinary family and he had a profound understanding about capitalism and material culture. He was probably one of the few Western artists - or artists from the United States - that could be considered a true product of his time and brought out that kind of spirit of the culture.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Artist Quotes , Profound Quotes

I don't think China should care if this crazy old guy should have a show here or not. You have so many museums in the West, and so many shows, you need somebody to show the work, otherwise it's empty.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Crazy Quotes , Thinking Quotes

This so-called contemporary art is not a form, but a philosophy of society.

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Art Quotes , Philosophy Quotes

The media is the message. It carries the full intention and the meaning. Once you change it...it's very disturbing.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Media Quotes , Messages Quotes

We grew up in a very material-lacking socialist society, but today China is a capitalist society. It's very materialistic. It's full of desire and luxury goods.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Luxury Quotes , Desire Quotes

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.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Jobs Quotes , Government Quotes

Each year, more people want to become artists.

6 years ago

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Tags : Ai Weiwei Quotes , Artist Quotes , Years Quotes