Ai Weiwei Quotes

Contemporary artist

Browse famous quotes by Ai Weiwei.

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Famous Ai Weiwei Quotes

“I think it's more important to show your work to the public.”

Thinking Important Shows Importance

Author:Ai Weiwei

“Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world it is more dangerous. In the west people think it's a right they're born with. Here it's a right given by the government, and one that's not really practised.”

People Thinking World Real Government Given Born Opinion Dangerous Citizens Constitution West Chinese Real World

Author:Ai Weiwei

“When human beings are scared and feel everything is exposed to the government, we will censor ourselves from free thinking. That's dangerous for human development.”

Thinking Feels Humans Government Human Beings Dangerous Development Scared Exposed Human Development Free Thinking

Author:Ai Weiwei

“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.”

Thinking Want Ideas Soul Government Loses Technology Cutting Expression Regret Edges China Nevertheless Suicidal Freedom Of Expression Cutting Edge

Author:Ai Weiwei

“Art should live in the heart of the people. Ordinary people should have the same ability to understand art as anybody else. I don't think art is elite or mysterious.”

People Thinking Should Heart Art Ability Ordinary Art Is Should Have Mysterious Elites Ordinary People

Author:Ai Weiwei

“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.”

People Thinking Knows Littles Evil Justice Development Internet Weapons Court Details Trials Judgement Openness Fairness Civil Society

Author:Ai Weiwei

“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.”

People Thinking Together Certain Values Individual United Powerful Struggle Modern Internet Metaphor Chinese Sand Dishes Modern History

Author:Ai Weiwei

“You see so many people doing quite nice and respectful work, but nobody like Warhol. Warhol is outstanding. I think he has a value that is far from fully understood. He's very special for younger generations.”

People Thinking Values Nice Generations Special Understood Outstanding Respectful Younger Generation Warhol

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I think by not letting young people be fully informed, how can they have energy and passion and the right picture of the world? I think that's the true crime.”

People Thinking World Young Passion Energy Crime

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I'm not a writer, but today I think you have to be everything. As an artist you have an obligation to let people know what is on your mind and why you're doing this.”

People Thinking Knows Mind Today Artist Obligation

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I think of art as coming from daily life, daily experience. I think it's very important not to have it become work for some kind of elite circle.”

Thinking Kind Art Important Circles Daily Life Elites Daily Experience

Author:Ai Weiwei

“Technology is a liberation. I think the information age probably is the best thing to happen to the human race in human evolution. Now you have the equal opportunity to equip yourself through information and knowledge and express yourself as an independent mind.”

“I also have to speak out for people around me who are afraid, who think it is not worth it or who have totally given up hope. So I want to set an example: you can do it and this is OK, to speak out.”

People Thinking Want Speak Given Can Do Example Okay Worth It You Can Do It Given Up Speaks Out Not Worth It

Author:Ai Weiwei

“If we all say the same thing, then I think the government has to listen. But because no one is saying it, I become singled out, even though what I'm saying is common sense. It's very essential values that we all have to protect. But in Chinese society, people are giving up on protecting these values.”

People Ifs Thinking Giving Government Values Common Protect Essentials Giving Up Common Sense Chinese

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I don't think [price] reflects if the work is good or bad.A good artist shouldn't be nervous about that.”

Ifs Thinking Artist Nervous Good Art Good Artist

Author:Ai Weiwei

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

Thinking Past China Museums Past Present

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets of judgment.”

Thinking Art Two Different Use Reality Judgment Standards Double Standard

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I don't think my father had a direct influence on me, but I do think, more or less, I was influenced by his independent individualism. And the kind of condition he had when he was in this society - the kind of mistreatment society gave him.”

Thinking Kind Father Influence Conditions Direct Independent Individualism This Society Mistreatment

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I never think any place is better than others.”

Thinking

Author:Ai Weiwei

“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.”

Thinking Giving Humans Individual Human Beings Poor Successful Conditions Unsuccessful

Author:Ai Weiwei

“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.”

Thinking Obstacles Spending Spending Time Questionable Biggest Obstacles

Author:Ai Weiwei

“Even though everybody who looked at me would call me a Chinese artist, that's the 1980s. New York in the '80s was not so interesting. I think it's quite narrow-minded. There wasn't much encouragement or opportunities for any artist - not just Chinese artists.”

Thinking Artist Opportunity Interesting New York Encouragement Chinese Call Me 80s Narrow-minded

Author:Ai Weiwei

“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.”

People Thinking Art Character Young Artist Courses Understanding My Own Consciousness Art Is Chinese Related Young Artists

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I think Allen [Ginsberg] was a person who's like a child.”

Thinking Children Persons Ginsberg

Author:Ai Weiwei

“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.”

Thinking Believe Personal Success

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I don't think there is a distinct change, because in the West I'm not a person who can serve his purpose.”

Thinking Persons Purpose West

Author:Ai Weiwei

“If it's possible, I will have some noodles in the morning and start talking to people, start to think about a few things in my head - the project or a few ideas which are not finished or if there are possible directions and what will lead into another game. It's always like setting up some kind of game you can continuously play.”

People Ifs Thinking Kind Ideas Play Games Talking Morning Projects Finished Setting Settings Noodles

Author:Ai Weiwei

“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.”

Thinking Kind May Shows Millions Five Conditions Hundred Pounds Bowls Pearls Necklaces

Author:Ai Weiwei

“Of course, there [in China] has to be chaos. It has to be crazy, and I don't think there's anything wrong about it except this government, which is really incapable of doing anything meaningful.”

Thinking Government Courses Crazy Chaos China Meaningful Incapable Being Crazy

Author:Ai Weiwei

“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.”

Thinking Problem Government Cities Crazy Stupid Building Creating Bigger Structure Problem Solving

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I don't personally feel any association with a kind of culture related to state, or culture related to power, which I think is always disgusting.”

Thinking Feels Kind States Culture Related Association Disgusting

Author:Ai Weiwei

“Everyone thinks the Chinese government selected me. Never ever. I was selected by Herzog and de Meuron.”

Thinking Government Chinese Selected Chinese Government

Author:Ai Weiwei

“There's no single artwork I even want to mention or that I can even really think about it to have any feeling, to be proud of it.”

Thinking Want I Can Feelings Proud Be Proud Artwork

Author:Ai Weiwei

“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.”

Ifs Thinking Needs Should Shows Care Guy Crazy Empty Should Have West China Museums Old Guys

Author:Ai Weiwei

“In the end, I think, the state's rigidity is a function of its own insecurity, its indecisiveness.”

Thinking Ends States Function Insecurity Rigidity Indecisiveness

Author:Ai Weiwei

“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.”

Thinking Humanity Understanding Accepting Creativity Trouble Acceptance Tolerance Colorful

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I think I'm just a traveler. When you walk across a river and there's no bridge, you build one. I'm used to having to deal with Chinese Communist ideology - it's not really an ideology, but a method of control. But China's problems are not just China's problems - they're human problems. Humanity has always worked better when you see it as one.”

Thinking Problem Humanity Ideology Chinese Communist Traveler

Author:Ai Weiwei

“The United States is a melting pot. Like John F. Kennedy said, it's a nation of immigrants. But Donald Trump wants to build a fence that clearly makes the statement: "You and I are divided. We're different, and you're dangerous." That kind of thinking stops human, civilized evolution. It's dangerous to create that kind of tension.”

Thinking Kind Different Dangerous Evolution Tension Civilized Pot Fence

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I think to deal with the situation like human crisis, 65 million people being displaced, lost their home, and with such human tragedy, has to make every level of society to be conscious and to be alert about the situation. So, the politicians and the people who make decisions very often is the one we think can make some difference. But of course they will not make a difference if the citizens or the individuals not push it or not to speak out, to possess a very strong voice about, this is not acceptable.”

People Thinking Home Individual Speak Strong Decision Situation Politician Conscious Tragedy Crisis Making A Difference Very Strong

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I think China is laughing about the results of the presidential elections. China, Russia, they all laugh about it. They see how dramatic U.S. has to be put this kind of shame on its own - cannot handle the situation. Or show such a difficulty with this liberal ideas. Men or women created equal. And to defend those very essential ideas.”

Thinking Men Kind Situation Laughing Equal Difficulty Shame Election Presidential Dramatic Presidential Election

Author:Ai Weiwei

“Any individual can contribute its own belief. And our society or even our government are made by the people. The people would have the final voice, but it requires each individual to act. If we don't act, then the result is very clear. So for too long Americans take liberty as granted. We think we are in the safe hand, the democracy and the liberty, which is not true. And it can be even getting much worse than today.”

People Thinking Long Today Individual Belief Liberty Democracy Granted

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I think U.S. and China is a big opportunity, to be seen as partner or some kind of strategic partner maybe. But those kind of powers have a way of getting too big, then we'll have competition. And who is going to win the competition if U.S. cannot hold a strong ideology? And even the U.S. would've lost the ground to win.”

Thinking Kind Opportunity Winning Strong Competition Ideology

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I think Donald Trump should cool down a little bit. To pay more attention to the history. To really understand what U.S.'s value is about. I think, as a president, those things you always have to ask.”

Thinking Values President Attention

Author:Ai Weiwei

“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.”

Thinking Art Clear Chinese Orientation Discussing New Directions Chinese Art

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I think everybody deserves freedom. Freedom is such an abstract word, but it's all we need.”

Thinking Needs Art Deserve Abstract

Author:Ai Weiwei

“Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.”

Thinking World Should Kind Action Change Society Activity Who You Are Chinese Changing The World Making Changes Doings Famous Artist

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I think it’s a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression and to use any way to extend this power.”

Thinking Way Use Artist Responsibility Expression Protect Freedom Of Expression

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I think my stance and my way of life is my most important art.”

Thinking Way Art Important Life Is My Way Stance

Author:Ai Weiwei

“I think art certainly is the vehicle for us to develop any new ideas, to be creative, to extend our imagination, to change the current conditions.”

Thinking Art Ideas Imagination Creative Conditions Currents Vehicle New Ideas Be Creative

Author:Ai Weiwei

“My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression, a new way of communication. It is never about exhibiting in museums or about hanging it on the wall. Art should live in the heart of the people. Ordinary people should have the same ability to understand art as anybody else. I don’t think art is elite or mysterious. I don’t think anybody can separate art from politics. The intention to separate art from politics is itself a very political intention.”

About the Author

Born: August 28, 1957
Known for: Contemporary artist
Quotes: 341

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