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.

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Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Gender: male
Citizenship: China
Place of birth: Beijing
Father: Ai Qing
Occupation: photographer
Educated at: University of California, Berkeley
Languages spoken: Chinese
Notable work: Sunflower Seeds
Participant in: documenta 12
Field of work: civic engagement
Movement: conceptual art
Official website: www.aiweiwei.com
Image: Aj Wej-wej I (2017).jpg
Work location: New York City

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Commons category: Ai Weiwei
date of birth: 1957-05-18
has works in the collection: National Gallery of Art
topic's main category: Category:Ai Weiwei
name in native language: 艾
ethnic group: Huaren
social media followers: 394064
affiliation: The New School

Sources (15)

via Wikidata · CC0

Works in European collections

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

Untitled

~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

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.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ai Weiwei” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.