Ai Weiwei: Doing

Ai Weiwei is Chinese concept artist. Explore interesting quotes on doing.
Ai Weiwei: 436   quotes 37   likes

“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?”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, Living in Fear Is Worse Than Imprisonment, 2012

Sense , Freedom

“You’re in total isolation. And you don’t know how long you’re going to be there, but you truly believe they can do anything to you. There’s no way to even question it. You’re not protected by anything. Why am I here? Your mind is very uncertain of time. You become like mad. It’s very hard for anyone. Even for people who have strong beliefs.”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, The City: Beijing, 2011

People , Way , Question , Strong

“On the Internet, people do not know each other, they don’t have common leaders, sometimes not even a common political goal. But they come together on certain issues. I think that is a miracle. It never happened in the past. Without the Internet, I would not even be Ai Weiwei today. I would just be an artist somewhere doing my shows.”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, Ai Weiwei: ‘Shame on Me.’, 2011

People , Thinking , Past

“They [the government] cannot stop people from communicating freely, to get information and to express themselves. When they do that, this nation is not a right place to live. They sacrifice generations of people’s opportunities. This is a crime.”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, Ai Weiwei: The Dissident, 2011

People , Communication

“They know too many things they should not know and they do not know some things they need to know.”

Ai Weiwei

Moore, Malcolm. " 'Ai Weiwei: "The police can be very tough, but I can be tougher sometimes.”' http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-features/9299885/Ai-Weiwei-The-police-can-be-very-tough-but-I-can-be-tougher-sometimes.html," in: Telegraph, May 30, 2012.
2010-, 2012

“What can they do besides exile [me] or make me disappear? They have no imagination or creativity.”

Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei Twitter feed: @AiWW (5:41 p.m. November 19, 2009)
2000-09, Twitter feeds, 2009

Imagination

“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 okay, to speak out.”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, I have to speak for people who are afraid, 2010

People , Hope , Thinking

“[People] always tell me, “Weiwei, leave the nation, please.” Or “Live longer and watch them die.” Either leave, or be patient and watch how they die. I really don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, The City: Beijing, 2011

People

“Do they want me to stay? Do they want me to leave? Do they want me to hang myself? To kill myself? What do they want?”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, Ai Weiwei: ‘Shame on Me.’, 2011

“House arrest, travel restrictions, surveillance, stopping phone service, cutting the Internet connection. What we can still do is greet the crazy motherland once again.”

Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei on Twitter in English (beta). http://aiwwenglish.tumblr.com/ (December 9, 2010)
2010-, Twitter feeds, 2010-12

Travel , Housing

“I don’t have this concept that separates my art from my daily life. They are one thing to me. They are always one. How do you find the way to express yourself and how to communicate with others?”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, Ai Weiwei Does Not Feel Powerful, 2011

Life , Art , Way , Communication

“Tips on surviving the regime: Respect yourself and speak for others. Do one small thing every day to prove the existence of justice.”

Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei Twitter feed: @AiWW (12:39 p.m. August 6, 2009)
2000-09, Twitter feeds, 2009

Justice

“Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don’t have to obey their own laws.”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, China’s ‘Mozart’ Drops Off State Hit Parade, 2010

Law

“There were thousands of moving messages. People sent money from their first month’s salary. Others said: This is my retirement payment—take it. This is the money for my next pair of shoes—take it. It was very important for me to see and hear those things. Normally you do not see the warmth, humor, care and generosity of the people while writing a blog. You just feel like you are walking in a dark tunnel and you feel alone.”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, Ai Weiwei: ‘Shame on Me.’, 2011

Money , People , Shoe , Feeling

“My activism is a part of me. If my art has anything to do with me, then my activism is part of my art.”

Ai Weiwei

“Ai Weiwei’s Year of Living Dangerously.” Art in America, September 2009, 28.
2000-09, 2009

Art , Parting

“The government may be made up of clever, sensible people. But if they do not believe in basic human values, the more clever or shrewd they are the greater the tragedy they will create.”

Ai Weiwei

2000-09, Truth to Power, 2008

People

“I will never leave China, unless I am forced to. Because China is mine. I will not leave something that belongs to me in the hands of people I do not trust.”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, Ai Weiwei Says Blind Dissident’s Escape Will Inspire Chinese, 2012

People

“From my experience dealing with Sichuan [after the 2008 earthquake] I started to understand very clearly the character of local government. They will do anything. You will never really wrongly accuse them of anything because they do everything.”

Ai Weiwei

Branigan, Tania. “ Accounts Invaded, Computers Infected—Human Rights Activists Tell of Cyber Attacks http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/14/china-human-rights-activists-cyber-attack.” Guardian, January 14, 2010.
2010-, 2010

Understanding

“The most unfair things that could have happened in a society fell upon a blind man. This is something that no one can accept or explain away with any excuse. Everyone will ask: 'Do we actually have to exist in a society like this?”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, Ai Weiwei Says Blind Dissident’s Escape Will Inspire Chinese, 2012