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.

Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.

Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world it is more dangerous. In the west people think it's a right they're born with. Here it's a right given by the government, and one that's not really practised.

When human beings are scared and feel everything is exposed to the government, we will censor ourselves from free thinking. That's dangerous for human development.

I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has never had any clear orientation.

I think it's more important to show your work to the public.

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'm not a writer, but today I think you have to be everything. As an artist you have an obligation to let people know what is on your mind and why you're doing this.

I think by not letting young people be fully informed, how can they have energy and passion and the right picture of the world? I think that's the true crime.