Ai Weiwei

Chinese artist, activist

Contemporary influential 98 sayings

Sayings by Ai Weiwei

I think the most important thing for an artist is to be authentic, to be genuine, to be true to himself.

2015 — Interview with The New York Times
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

My work is about the human condition, about the struggles, the hopes, the dreams of ordinary people.

2017 — Interview with The Art Newspaper
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I believe that art has the power to transcend borders, to connect people, to inspire change.

2015 — Interview with The Guardian
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

My life is a constant negotiation with power, with authority, with the system.

2011 — Interview with The Independent
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The internet is a democratic space. It's a space where everyone can have a voice, where everyone can be heard.

2011 — Interview with The New York Review of Books
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

My art is about challenging the silence, about breaking the taboos, about speaking the unspeakable.

2012 — Interview with The Los Angeles Times
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I think the most important thing for an artist is to be critical, to be analytical, to be questioning.

2015 — Interview with The Washington Post
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

My work is about the struggle for freedom, for dignity, for human rights, in a society where these values are constantly under threat.

2015 — Interview with The Financial Times
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I believe that every individual has the right to be free, to think freely, to express themselves freely, without fear of reprisal.

2011 — Interview with The New York Times
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The Internet is a public space. It's really the only public space that we have in China. It's a space where people can express their opinions and speak out against the government.

2010 — Interview with The Guardian
Controversial Unverifiable

If a nation cannot face its past, it has no future.

2011 — Interview with Der Spiegel
Controversial Unverifiable

I think my work is always about my life, and my life is always about my work. They are inseparable.

2009 — Interview with Art21
Controversial Unverifiable

I don't think art is a tool to change society. Art is a way to express yourself, and to understand society.

2011 — Interview with The New York Times
Controversial Unverifiable

Freedom of expression is a universal human right. It is the basis for all other human rights.

2013 — Statement at the European Parliament
Controversial Unverifiable

I am not a hero. I am just a person who tries to speak out for justice.

2011 — Interview with CNN
Controversial Unverifiable

The government is afraid of its own people. That's why they try to control everything.

2011 — Interview with BBC News
Controversial Unverifiable

If you don't speak out, you are complicit.

2011 — Interview with The Economist
Controversial Unverifiable

My art is about humanity, about individuals. It's about how we see ourselves in this society.

2012 — Interview with PBS NewsHour
Controversial Unverifiable

I think every society needs to be questioned. And art is a very powerful way to question society.

2011 — Interview with Al Jazeera
Controversial Unverifiable

I believe that every single individual has the right to express their opinion, and to be heard.

2012 — Interview with Deutsche Welle
Controversial Unverifiable