Ai Weiwei: Quotes about people (page 3)

Ai Weiwei is Chinese concept artist. Explore interesting quotes on people.
Ai Weiwei: 436   quotes 39   likes

“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.”

Ai Weiwei

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

People , Art , Way , Communication

“As an artist, I am very familiar with how to show the details, how to transform them into a language people can understand. They [the government] know that the Internet is a strong force, unbearable for them.”

Ai Weiwei

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

People , Understanding , Strong

“There is no revolution like the Communist revolution. You simply burn all the books, kill all of the thinking people and use the poor proletariat to create a very simple benchmark to gauge social change.”

Ai Weiwei

2000-09, Truth to Power, 2008

People , Books , Thinking , Gauge

“At midnight they can come into your room and take you away. They can put a black hood on you, take you to a secret place and interrogate you, trying to stop what you’re doing. They threaten people, your family, saying: 'Your children won’t find jobs.”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, China’s Censorship Can Never Defeat the Internet, 2012

Children , People , Secret , Family

“The biggest crime of a dictatorship is to eradicate human feelings from people.”

Ai Weiwei

“ China Artist Ai Weiwei Says He Regrets Designing Beijing Olympics Bird’s Nest http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2012/apr/16/china-censorship-internet-freedom.” Telegraph, March 5, 2012. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/9123705/China-artist-Ai-Weiwei-says-he-regrets-designing-Beijing-Olympics-Birds-Nest.html
2010-, 2012

People , Feeling

“People often say I started to become too outspoken after a certain period. It’s all because of the Internet. If we didn’t have this technology I would be same as everybody else. I couldn’t really amplify my voice.”

Ai Weiwei

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

People

“In a society like this there is no negotiation, no discussion, except to tell you that power can crush you any time they want—not only you, your whole family and all people like you.”

Ai Weiwei

“ At home: Ai Weiwei http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/6fdcaae6-5959-11e1-abf1-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1nQPAYr26..” Financial Times, February 24, 2012.
2010-, 2012

People , Family , Time

“I call on people to be “obsessed citizens,” forever questioning and asking for accountability. That’s the only chance we have today of a healthy and happy life.”

Ai Weiwei

" Our Duty Is to Remember Sichuan http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/may/25/china-earthquake-cover-up/print." Guardian.co.uk., May 25, 2009.
2000-09, 2009

Life , People , Question , Chance

“I often think what I’m saying is for the people who never had a chance to be heard.”

Ai Weiwei

2000-09, Truth to Power, 2009

People , Thinking , Chance

“I try to encourage people to look at our past in a critical way because as our education, we have a great, great history. But in reality we are poorest in ethics and philosophy, so I try to raise people’s consciousness on how we deal with our past.”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, Ai Weiwei, interview by Christiane Amanpour, 2010

People , Education , Way , History

“Nothing can silence me as long as I am alive. I don’t give any kind of excuse. If I cannot come out [of China] or I cannot go in [to China] this is not going to change my belief. But when I am there, I am in this condition: I see it, I see people who need help. Then you know, I just want to offer my possibility to help them.”

Ai Weiwei

2010-, Digital Activism in China, 2010

People , Silence , Change , Help

“[The Olympics are] an event manipulated into misleading people into believing that we have entered a new, successful and harmonious period in our history. This is not true.”

Ai Weiwei

2000-09, Truth to Power, 2008

People , History , Success

“I definitely know people who are shameless enough to give up basic values. I see this kind of art, and when I see it I feel ashamed. In China they treat art as some form of decoration, a self-indulgence. It is pretending to be art. It looks like art. It sells like art. But it is really a piece of shit.”

Ai Weiwei

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

Self-confidence , Feeling , People , Art