Henry Rollins Quotes

Queen Victoria did not regard art, letters, or music as in any way springing from national character: they were something quite apart, elegant decorations resembling a scarf or a bracelet, and in no way expressive of the soul of the country.

I feel responsible to make something original as a Japanese artist. There are lots of singers and guitarists, but I feel that on stage it's meaningless to copy something someone has done before.

Western civilization shapes the content of my films, provides me with subjects that haven't been used before.

Music and fashion are a sign of the times and a reflection of what people want and need at this very day and age.

In general it can be said that a nation's art is greatest when it most reflects the character of its people.

I think that nationality has no relation to that which gives rise to manga. Even among the Japanese, manga creators are making their creations everyday reflecting their own individuality, with none being the same. What is important isn't the differences between the creators but their love for manga.

The art of a people is a true mirror to their minds.

There is no pulse so sure of the state of a nation as its characteristic art product which has nothing to do with its material life.

Nobody is sure what our culture is or whether we even have a national culture at all.

I grew up watching cinema in my country that wasn't telling stories about us, and we had to find a way to connect, and our references, our role models had nothing to do with us. And I'm so glad that it's changing.

When I was making my debut as an artist, I felt that it was very important that I try to combine the background of my own culture, my people, and the country into the contemporary art world. So that's how I came up with the term 'superflat.'

Music is a major cornerstone of our success.

I celebrate my blackness. I love the artistic vibrancy of the culture I was born to.

The arts are so important not only to society but to ourselves as human beings. It keeps in touch with our own humanity. So access to the arts in any way, shape, or form is vital.

You could not imitate Fellini. His beauty was above anything else, but that intelligence was typically Italian. This helped me to realise that I had to create something that was distinctively Japanese.

So I feel now very much like a guardian. I'm standing in front of art. I'm standing in front of cinema. I'm standing in front of Black culture. I'm standing in front of the history of America, and I'm protecting it by making art, by protecting our art, and by promoting our art.

Image-making, along with storytelling and music, is the stuff that culture is made out of.

As long as I'm making something from my voice, from my perspective there will be Asian American content because I am the storyteller.

Thank God for jazz. It gave black women what film and theater gave white women: a well-lighted space where they could play with roles and styles, conduct esthetic experiments and win money and praise.

The one thing I won't do is sacrifice my Indian identity in my music, my clothing choices. It's something I tried to hide growing up, and I would never do that again because it's such a big part of me and I'm very proud of it.

I write for my people.

My cultural identity is obviously a huge part of my design aesthetic.

It's really empowering when you see yourself represented in entertainment and, especially, onstage when you're talking about how this country came to be.

Outside' was more of a personal project. This, the 'African Giant', is more of an African project.

Sometimes we make films just for our people, and it doesn't reach to anyone.