Skip to content

Artist Quotes by Ai Weiwei

52 Artist quotes by Ai Weiwei

All Artist quotes Ai Weiwei’s page

Ai Weiwei says art must engage with people's pain and sorrow, otherwise it has no purpose. He blends curating, architecture, writing and publishing, sees life as art, and stresses that protecting expression and viewing art as a societal philosophy are essential.

Rate this collection: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

Art needs to stand for something.

Image

Everything is art. Everything is politics.

Image

I think art is a very important weapon to achieve human freedom

Image

Because Chinese art is booming, it legitimizes this profession.

Image

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

Image

Each year, more people want to become artists.

Image

Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it.

Image

The purpose of art is the fight for freedom,

Image

This so-called contemporary art is not a form, but a philosophy of society,

Image

If artists cannot speak up for human dignity or rights, then who else will do it?

Image

Beijing is constructing a 100,000 m2 modern art museum, yet it will not feature any of my work.

Image

Artists are the worst [people]. They are selfish, self-centred; they don't care what happens.

Image

We have to give our opinion, we have to say something, or we are a part of it. As an artist I…

Image

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

Image

The art always wins. Anything can happen to me, but the art will stay.

Image

I curated this show [Shanghai Biennale ], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial.

Image

To protect the right of expression is the central part of an artist's activity... In China many essential rights are lacking, and…

Image

Art should live in the heart of the people. Ordinary people should have the same ability to understand art as anybody else.…

Image

I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese…

Image

I think art certainly is the vehicle for us to develop any new ideas, to be creative, to extend our imagination, to…

Image

My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression […] I don’t think anybody can separate…

Image

Even though everybody who looked at me would call me a Chinese artist, that's the 1980s. New York in the '80s was…

Image

People are always wondering if I am an artist or political activist or politician. Maybe I'll just clearly tell you: Whatever I…

Image

To call yourself a Chinese artist or woman artist or African artist reflects a certain kind of condition. To me, that is…

Image

Of course, people will call you an old artist or young artist, which is just a character of you. But personally, I…

Image

My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression, a new way of communication. It is…

Image

The museums used to be exhibition halls for government propaganda, and now every city wants to build a museum. A few thousand…

Image

For artists and intellectuals today, what is most needed is to be clear about social responsibility, because that is what most people…

Image

Warhol came from an ordinary family and he had a profound understanding about capitalism and material culture. He was probably one of…

Image

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

Image

This is a very general understanding of art in China, that being an artist can make you money and turn you into…

Image

I lived there [ in New York City] as an artist, but never as a Chinese artist.

Image

If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?

Image

Being an artist is more of a mindset, a way of seeing things; it is no longer so much about producing something.

Image

Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it. I don’t feel that much anger. I equally have a lot of…

Image

In China, we don't have any contemporary art museums. Until a few years ago, we didn't even have a gallery.

Image

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

Image

[Shanghai Biennale] has been my attitude for as long as I've been practicing art and other cultural-related activities.

Image

Art is always about overcoming obstacles between the inner condition and the skill for expression.

Image

I’m an artist who is always looking for what is possible. I’m always looking to extend the boundaries.

Image

Other authors on Artist

More by Ai Weiwei

I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.

If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?

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…

China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.

This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the…

By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.

I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. I accepted Herzog and De Meuron's invitation to collaborate on the design, and our…

I curated this show [Shanghai Biennale ], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial.

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

It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road…

Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…

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

Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.

Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…

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…