Ai Weiwei

Also known as Wei-wei Ai, Ai Wei Wei, Weiwei Ai

Chinese Conceptual artist (born 1957)

AI overview

Ai Weiwei is a contemporary Chinese artist known for creating conceptual art that often challenges authority and addresses social issues. His work matters because it has made him one of the most prominent voices for artistic freedom and human rights in China, despite facing government censorship and detention.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Music · MusicBrainz

Type: Person

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners: 627
Total plays: 2,052

Recent publications · Crossref

5 total works indexed

Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
· 2020 · cited 15,326x
Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
· 2018 · cited 10,795x
Large-Area Synthesis of High-Quality and Uniform Graphene Films on Copper Foils
· 2009 · cited 10,348x
Graphene and Graphene Oxide: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications
· 2010 · cited 9,753x
Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risk Factors, 1990–2019
· 2020 · cited 9,734x

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Quotes

“A fine line separates Chinese intellectuals and professors from the political gangsters who protect them.”
“Block [my blog] if you want, but I cannot self-censor, because that is the only reason I have the blog. We both know this is a game. You have to play your part, and I have to play mine.”
“Modernism represents a true kind of living. Modernism is not about form or method or the works of a few artists, but rather about a necessary way of living. And only this kind of lifestyle can save China, because if we don’t have modernism, then we will die under the grasp of one or another ideology. Modernism at least says that every person is free and needs to honestly encounter his own life.”
“No autocracy can lead people to believe that they are living in harmony and happiness.”
“The Internet is the best thing that could have happened to China.”
“We should leave behind discrimination, because it is narrow-minded and ignorant, denies contact and warmth, and corrodes mankind’s belief that we can better ourselves. The only way to avoid misunderstanding, war, and bloodshed is to defend freedom of expression and to communicate with sincerity, concern, and good intentions.”

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Wikidata facts

Official website: www.aiweiwei.com
Image: Aj Wej-wej I (2017).jpg

Show 4 more facts

Commons category: Ai Weiwei
date of birth: 1957-05-18
name in native language: 艾
social media followers: 394064

Sources (15)

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Works in European collections

1 object attributed to Ai Weiwei, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

Untitled

~40 min read

Article

Websitewww.aiweiwei.com

Ai Weiwei (/ˈaɪ weɪˈweɪ/ EYE way-WAY; Chinese: 艾未未; pinyin: Ài Wèiwèi, IPA: [âɪ wêɪ.wêɪ]; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly critical of the Chinese government and its stance on democracy and human rights. He investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan schools corruption scandal following the collapse of "tofu-dreg schools" in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. In April 2011, Ai Weiwei was arrested at Beijing Capital International Airport for "economic crimes", and detained for 81 days without charge. Ai Weiwei emerged as a figure in Chinese cultural development, an architect of Chinese modernism, and a prominent political commentator.