I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
Even though everybody who looked at me would call me a Chinese artist, that's the 1980s. New York in the '80s was… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
Widespread state control over art and culture has left no room for freedom of expression in the country. For more than 60… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
I lived there [ in New York City] as an artist, but never as a Chinese artist. — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
All the rich people collect traditional Chinese art. So it's very natural for Chinese families to still see art as the highest… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
The Chinese art world does not exist. In a society that restricts individual freedoms and violates human rights, anything that calls itself… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
So-called Chinese art and culture is under control of the Party. They exist to serve the official agenda. I call it fake… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
To call yourself a Chinese artist or woman artist or African artist reflects a certain kind of condition. To me, that is… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for? — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
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… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions. — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world. — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
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… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
I curated this show [Shanghai Biennale ], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
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… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be. — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image