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… — 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… — 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
Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
I don't believe in the so-called Olympic spirit. I speak from personal experience. When China hosted the Games, it failed to include… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
To protect the right of expression is the central part of an artist's activity... In China many essential rights are lacking, and… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
The IT people who have made such an effort to know and understand computer technology. They are frustrated that you cannot use… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
I'm not a writer, but today I think you have to be everything. As an artist you have an obligation to let… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
I don't belong to a working system. They only select people if you belong to one so you can be controlled. — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
The deadly weapon against totalitarian society is openness - doing everything very openly on the Internet, letting people know every detail, any… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
Many people I know - writers, poets - they have all been sentenced not once but sometimes three times after they come… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
These are nonviolent people who have lost their freedom simply because they expressed their ideas.... In truth, they are heroes of our… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
This week, the world gathers in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic games. This is the extraordinary moment China has been dreaming of… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
Art should live in the heart of the people. Ordinary people should have the same ability to understand art as anybody else.… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
Now the British are coming. I think Cameron should ask the Chinese government not to make people 'disappear' or to jail them… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
The 'Bird's Nest' National Stadium, which I helped to conceive, is designed to embody the Olympic spirit of 'fair competition.' It tells… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
People have a tendency to become elite rather than to care about the general conditions of the society, which makes me sick.… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
I call on people to be 'obsessed citizens,' forever questioning and asking for accountability. That's the only chance we have today of… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
If it's possible, I will have some noodles in the morning and start talking to people, start to think about a few… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
If a society cannot even support somebody like me, then people ask: Who is under protection then? That's why there is such… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
You can never know what is and what is not powerful, but you can always find out what the powerful people are… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
I hope that my work expresses my worldview and encourages people to exchange ideas. — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
For artists and intellectuals today, what is most needed is to be clear about social responsibility, because that is what most people… — 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