Expressing oneself is like a drug. I'm so addicted to it. Ai Weiwei More Quotes by Ai Weiwei More Quotes From Ai Weiwei To the media, I have become a symbolic figure, critical of China. According to the government, I am a dangerous threat. Ai Weiwei media figures government Of course, most luxury goods in China are for corrupted officials and their relatives. And that made China become the biggest luxury-goods market. In this kind of dictatorship, in this kind of totalitarian society, it is easy to make deals that you cannot make in a democratic society. Ai Weiwei luxury kind easy The rest of the world understands little about China's changes and the possibilities and crises that come with them. Ai Weiwei possibility littles world Democracy, material wealth, and universal education are the soil upon which modernism exists. Ai Weiwei soil wealth democracy Had I to create a name for these times, I’d say it is the age of craziness Ai Weiwei craziness age names A society is healthy only when it allows its members to discuss their thoughts openly. This is also the only way that a society can gather consensus, let everyone express his or her wish, and foster creativity. Ai Weiwei creativity healthy wish For me, it is OK as long as I can breathe, as long as my heart is pumping, as long as I can express myself. Ai Weiwei breathe heart long I hope that my work expresses my worldview and encourages people to exchange ideas. Ai Weiwei worldview people ideas This week, the world gathers in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic games. This is the extraordinary moment China has been dreaming of for 100 years. People have been longing for this moment, because it symbolises a turning point in China's relationship with the outside world. Ai Weiwei games dream years I have to find a place for my own. I have to search for my own happiness. Ai Weiwei my-own-happiness my-own Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it. Ai Weiwei art-is life-is art Dictatorship is a story about death of others who turn out to be you coincidently. Ai Weiwei turns dictatorship stories ...photographs are facts, but not necessarily true... The present always surpasses the past, and the future will not care about today. Ai Weiwei care today past The relationship between the Chinese government and me is like a Cold War. Ai Weiwei chinese cold war The whole Chinese system - not just the political leadership, the military too, the whole power structure, our education system, the whole of society - is suffering from being cut off from the free flow of information. That's why the country can't face up to open competition - unless it resorts to measures like North Korea. Ai Weiwei cutting military country If a master, a wise and experienced man, wields a great weapon, that's beautiful. He can serve peace with it. But if someone's emotions are imbalanced, even if he has the best equipment, he will still mean danger. Modern technology requires calm. You shouldn't trust anyone with a car who has no knowledge about vehicles or roads. Ai Weiwei wise beautiful mean We never really see the global situation as a total situation. Today's political leaders are still lacking of the vision. They very often just try to cope with their own election, their own popularity, solving the problem or selling the ideas to meet their own voters. By doing that, it creates a great imbalance in terms of making deals or treaty or all those things. Even today the borders they're seeing the physical borders are very different from the political borders. Because all those powers are so connected, and you cannot even see whose interest in what move. Ai Weiwei political leader moving How to become a really modern society when today we are so - as a human being, we feel so powerful. We have high technology and a superb way of controlling our life. And at the same time, in many ways we are so primitive. We are not on - even just a step away from the most brutal and primitive crudity. To be very crude on those issues, which is always challenges and we always have to look at the situation like a mirror, to draw some understanding. Ai Weiwei technology powerful understanding 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. Ai Weiwei president attention thinking The museums used to be exhibition halls for government propaganda, and now every city wants to build a museum. A few thousand are to be built in the next few years, all using taxpayer money. But there is no system, no research, no content, no good programs, no good managers. Ai Weiwei government museums years
