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Ai Weiwei Quotes
born 1957 China
Ai Weiwei (Chinese: 艾未未; born 1957 in Beijing) is a leading Chinese artist, curator, architectural designer, cultural and social commentator and activist.
Random Ai Weiwei quote
164 quotes
Any power or structure that seeks to maintain full control and is not open in any way to loosening its power eventually makes itself ridiculous.
The people who control culture in China have no culture.
I came to art because I wanted to escape the other regulations of the society. The whole society is so political. But the irony is that my art becomes more and more political.
Tips on surviving the regime: Respect yourself and speak for others. Do one small thing every day to prove the existence of justice.
What does it matter if China’s economy grows when there are no basic protections for its citizens?
Being an artist is more of a mindset, a way of seeing things; it is no longer so much about producing something.
I often think what I’m saying is for the people who never had a chance to be heard.
To express yourself needs a reason, but expressing yourself is the reason.
If a nation cannot face its past, it has no future.
Citizens should bear the responsibility to act.
A small act is worth a million thoughts.
I am very much interested in the so-called useless object. I mean, it takes perfect craftsmanship, beautiful material carefully measured and crafted, but at the same time it’s really useless.
They don’t believe in liberty. They don’t believe in China before the Communists. There is only one simple, clear task: to protect their control, to maintain their governing. Which is such a pity.
Once you’ve tasted freedom, it stays in your heart and no one can take it. Then, you can be more powerful than a whole country.
But the internet is like a tree that is growing. The people will always have the last word – even if someone has a very weak, quiet voice.
I think China is in a chaos now and it could be more chaos. It’s an orderly chaos. It’s a party that ruthlessly violates every human’s basic rights to serve its own purpose."
I feel powerless all the time, but I regain my energy by making a very small difference that won’t cost me much.
I have no sense of why I lost my freedom and if you do not know how you lost something, how can you protect it?"
I always have an attitude. Even if there are no plans, I have an attitude. Perhaps I answered imprecisely before, saying that I am just a person. I am actually a person with an attitude.
Overturning police cars is a super-intense workout. It’s probably the only sport I enjoy.
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