#ss

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

#asking #call #chance #citizens #forever

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. ↗

— Ai Weiwei

#art #chinese #clear #context #directions

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. ↗

— Ai Weiwei

#become #chinese #common #common sense #essential

Recently I danced in a video spoof of the song 'Gangnam Style,' and it was quickly banned across multiple Chinese online video platforms. But the story still traveled all over the world, carried in hundreds of international media reports. ↗

— Ai Weiwei

#banned #carried #chinese #danced #hundreds

The 'Bird's Nest' National Stadium, which I helped to conceive, is designed to embody the Olympic spirit of 'fair competition.' It tells people that freedom is possible but needs fairness, courage and strength. ↗

— Ai Weiwei

#competition #conceive #courage #designed #embody

The Chinese art world does not exist. In a society that restricts individual freedoms and violates human rights, anything that calls itself creative or independent is a pretence. It is impossible for a totalitarian society to create anything with passion and imagination. ↗

— Ai Weiwei

#art #art world #calls #chinese #create

This nation is notorious for its ability to make or fake anything cheaply. 'Made-in-China' goods now fill homes around the world. But our giant country has a small problem. We can't manufacture the happiness of our people. ↗

— Ai Weiwei

#anything #around #cheaply #country #fake

To protect the right of expression is the central part of an artist's activity... In China many essential rights are lacking, and I wanted to remind people of this. ↗

— Ai Weiwei

#artist #central #china #essential #expression

To work in architecture you are so much involved with society, with politics, with bureaucrats. It's a very complicated process to do large projects. You start to see the society, how it functions, how it works. Then you have a lot of criticism about how it works. ↗

— Ai Weiwei

#architecture #bureaucrats #complicated #criticism #functions

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. ↗

— Ai Weiwei

#censorship #discussion #education #full #internet