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
Warhol came from an ordinary family and he had a profound understanding about capitalism and material culture. He was probably one of the few Western artists - or artists from the United States - that could be considered a true product of his time and brought out that kind of spirit of the culture.
It's always nice to share your energy with young people, the people who might not have any skills but are simply willing to be a part of it.
I think my stance and my way of life is my most important art.
Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it. I don’t feel that much anger. I equally have a lot of joy.
You need a purpose to express yourself, but that expression is its own purpose.
The people who control culture in China have no culture.
As a person, I was born to give out my opinions. By giving out my opinions, I realize who I am. As long as I can communicate, I'm not so lonely. If I cannot travel, or do art, or have company, if they take away all my belongings, it doesn't matter at all.
We live in changing times, and many people experience the challenges that come with it. In the face of uncertain futures, no one will know what to expect.
The so-called culture nowadays is only a fake one with a superficial front. It is an empty lie.
Mass production is nothing new. Weren't cathedrals built through mass production? The pyramids?... Paintings can be painted with the left hand, the right hand, someone else's hand, or many people's hands. The scale of production is irrelevant to its content.
I am very much interested in the so-called useless object. I mean, it takes perfect craftsmanship, beautiful material carefully measured and crafted, but at the same time it’s really useless.
A society is healthy only when it allows its members to discuss their thoughts openly. This is also the only way that a society can gather consensus, let everyone express his or her wish, and foster creativity.
I think everybody deserves freedom. Freedom is such an abstract word, but it's all we need.
Choices after waking up: To be true or to lie? To take action or be brainwashed? To be free or be jailed?