Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
The rest of the world understands little about China's changes and the possibilities and crises that come with them.
I think it’s a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression and to use any way to extend this power.
In my case, I was stuck there for quite a while. New York is large enough to be a very abstract city, so nobody cares.
[Shanghai Biennale] has been my attitude for as long as I've been practicing art and other cultural-related activities.
Freedom of speech implies the world isn’t defined. It is meaningful when people are allowed to see the world their way.
This is a very general understanding of art in China, that being an artist can make you money and turn you into a star.
To the media, I have become a symbolic figure, critical of China. According to the government, I am a dangerous threat.
My understanding of Chinese history is limited. So far, I have only scratched its surface; I wish I could find out more.
We have to give our opinion, we have to say something, or we are a part of it. As an artist I am forced to say something.
I think by shattering it we can create a new form, a new way to look at what is valuable — how we decide what is valuable.
[Being unique] gives so much privilege to people who can make it, rather than having some moral and aesthetic discussions.
My childhood was quite extreme. Sometimes I was so weak I could not stand up. But now I am so strong. Life is unpredictable
It's always the rich and there's plenty to waste, yet still China has a lot of people living in very spare, poor conditions.
Chinese government is very clearly losing power in every aspect, but trying to fix up all the problems or potential problems.
The internet is a wild land with its own games, languages and gestures through which we are starting to share common feelings.
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.
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 and what is the limit.
It's really rubbish that some kind of "technical" learning means you will be a better person because you know this skill better.
There's no single artwork I even want to mention or that I can even really think about it to have any feeling, to be proud of it.
No outdoor sports can be more elegant than throwing stones at autocracy; no melees can be more exciting than those in cyberspace.
Behind every political deal in this country, the first casualties are always the ordinary people, who are barely treated as human.
Only with the Internet can a peasant I have never met hear my voice and I can learn what's on his mind. A fairy tale has come true.
The tragic reality of today is reflected in the true plight of our spiritual existence. We are spineless and cannot stand straight.
I don't think I was very structured in that society and I don't really believe in personal success, which most Americans believe in.
Warhol influenced me because of his writing. If I had never read his writings and interviews, I would never have understood his work.
As a total activity - I practice curating, art, architecture, writing, and publishing all together. I still act as a living creature.
...photographs are facts, but not necessarily true... The present always surpasses the past, and the future will not care about today.
I think optimism is whether you are still exhilarated by life, whether you are curious, whether you still believe there is possibility.
To call yourself a Chinese artist or woman artist or African artist reflects a certain kind of condition. To me, that is not necessary.
China is at a different stage of development, human rights are violated here much more often. And still, we see improvements even here.
Even if I have hundreds of things to do, the disconnected feeling is still there because it is very hard to find a real purpose of life.
So-called Chinese art and culture is under control of the Party. They exist to serve the official agenda. I call it fake art and culture.
These are nonviolent people who have lost their freedom simply because they expressed their ideas….In truth, they are heroes of our time.
I came back [to Beijing ] because that's the only time I had an excuse to come back, or otherwise I would never have a reason to come back.
If you just turn to your paper or television each day, there are thousands of stories that are much more shocking than the gallery artworks.
I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets of judgment.
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 saw [Allen Ginsberg] more as an old man who liked poetry and who had a lot of physical and emotional problems. We liked our time together.
A lot of the time [in the U.S.], I was thinking about how spending time is always questionable or is always the biggest obstacle in my life.
I'm a free man now, except I cannot leave China. You know, I have no desire to travel. I have so many things to do; I cannot finish them now.
My situation gives me certain ideas about beauty or the excitement of life, but that doesn't mean other people can necessarily appreciate it.
Many people are going to use [Beijing National Stadium], which makes it more meaningful. If we don't design it, somebody else has to design it.
If there is no freedom of expression, then the beauty of life is lost. Participation in a society is not an artistic choice, it’s a human need.
Imagine one day, the hateful world around you collapses. And it is your attitude, words and actions that put an end to it. Will you be excited?
Growing up, my family was an enemy of the state. I have experienced more disappointment than joy, much more sad stories or desperate conditions.
I have people working together, doing different things: architecture, art installation, photography, publishing, and curatorial works and design.
I think of art as coming from daily life, daily experience. I think it's very important not to have it become work for some kind of elite circle.
I don't personally feel any association with a kind of culture related to state, or culture related to power, which I think is always disgusting.
I think art certainly is the vehicle for us to develop any new ideas, to be creative, to extend our imagination, to change the current conditions.
The society was so different [in China] - it was a feudalistic society. It didn't come to a point of industrial revolution until twenty years ago.