Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei; born 28 August 1957 in Beijing) is a Chinese Contemporary artist and activist. His father's side's original surname is 蔣 Jiang. Ai collaborated with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron as the artistic consultant on the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics. As a political activist, he has been highly and openly critical of the Chinese Government's stance on democracy and human rights. He has investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan schools corruption scandal...
NationalityChinese
ProfessionSculptor
Date of Birth18 May 1957
CityBeijing, China
CountryChina
Modern Chinese culture is weak and lackluster.
My musician friends are banned from playing concerts in China because they share the same views as I do. My name cannot appear on the web, because my opinion is different from the Party.
All movies in China are censored. Out of 600 movies produced in China, only 60 are allowed to show in theatres.
The so-called culture nowadays is only a fake one with a superficial front. It is an empty lie.
Democracy, material wealth, and universal education are the soil upon which modernism exists.
Once you've tasted freedom, it stays in your heart and no one can take it. Then, you can be more powerful than a whole country.
To express yourself needs a reason, but expressing yourself is the reason.
I think it's more important to show your work to the public.
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.
We move so fast that memory is something we can only grasp
The Internet changes the structure of society all the time—this massiveness made of individuals.
In a society like this there is no negotiation, no discussion, except to tell you that power can crush you any time they want—not only you, your whole family and all people like you.
Without freedom of speech, there is no modern world, just a barbaric one.
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.