Exiled Chinese artist Ai Weiwei: 'Censorship in West exactly the same as Mao's China' The exiled Chinese artist spoke to Sky's Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips about the cancellation of his ...Ai Weiwei is a contemporary artist and an avid Chinese civil rights activist, all rolled into one. He was born on August 28, 1957, to a poet father, Ai Qing, and a writer mother, Gao Ying. Like him, his father was a low-key activist and was consequently detained by the Nationalist regime on the suspicion that he was a Leftist.Born in 1957 in Beijing, Ai Weiwei has played a key role in contemporary Chinese art over the last two decades. He is the son of one of China's most famous poets, Ai Qing, a Communist Party member ...Ai Weiwei, Chinese activist and artist, has dedicated his work to unveiling forms of oppression within the sociopolitical realm of China. Through his works, Ai Weiwei has challenged the false truths spread by the Chinese government. Ai’s dedication to his practice stems beyond art making. Activism is the central component of Ai’s art making.Ai Weiwei is currently the most well-known Chinese artist alive. Ai Weiwei’s art redefined what creative expression could encompass outside of the traditional …By Alastair Sooke,Features correspondent. Ai Weiwei in 2012 (Gao Yuan) Ai Weiwei became world famous after his arrest in 2011 – but how good is the art he …Bio. Ai Weiwei was born in 1957 in Beijing and now lives and works between Cambridge, Lisbon and Berlin. Activism. Ai is renowned for championing human rights. He received …Last year, the editors of ArtReview magazine named the Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei the most powerful artist in the world. It was an unusual choice. Ai’s varied, scattershot work doesn’t fetch ...Ai Weiwei Biography. Born in 1957 in Beijing, the multi-media artist Ai Weiwei is known as much for his art as he is for his activism. Shorty after Ai’s birth, his father was deemed an enemy of the communist regime and sent to a labor camp. Growing up largely in exile in remote parts of China, Ai later attended the Beijing Film Academy before ...Ai Weiwei: Making Sense. This major exhibition, developed in collaboration with Ai Weiwei himself, is the first to present his work as a commentary on design and what it reveals about our changing values. The show mixes recent works with commissioned pieces, inviting us into a meditation on value and humanity, art and activism.© 2005-2023 Z.Z. Wei All Rights Reserved ... ...Liu Wei is a contemporary Chinese painter known for his involvement in the Cynical Realism movement.In Liu Wei’s well-known painting New Generation (1990), the infant figures of the artist and his brother are sitting in front of a large image of Mao Zedong but looking away from it. Born in 1965 in Beijing, China, he studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, …Last year, the editors of ArtReview magazine named the Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei the most powerful artist in the world. It was an unusual choice. Ai’s varied, scattershot work doesn’t fetch ...Interview with Chinese Artist Tian Wei: Calligraphy in the West. A. J. Samuels 06 January 2017. Contemporary artist Tian Wei spent much of his life traveling between the United States and China, which left a profound mark on his painting style and ideas. Although his work is heavily influenced by the works of Western and particularly …Ai WeiWei's work is a recreation of one of Monet's most famous paintings. The Chinese artist decided to use this unusual material for his piece as the pixel-like blocks are a reminder of the ...Ai Weiwei 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's stance on democracy and human rights. He investigated … See moreAug 1, 2022 · Over the decades, Ai Weiwei has become one of the most influential artists and activists of our time, which is why the Chinese government has long fixed its gaze on him. In 2011, Chinese ... The Chinese government imprisoned Ai Weiwei for 81 days in 2011. That time is the subject of a near-life-size installation by the artist. See what it was like for the artist behind bars.Feb 7, 2024 · Maria Sturm for The New York Times. As the Year of the Dragon dawns, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has released “Zodiac,” a “graphic memoir” of scenes from his career — both real (hanging ... Chen Wei. Chen Wei (b. 1980) lives and works in Beijing. He focuses on social themes such as urban landscape and disco culture, and works with photography and installation. His recent solo exhibitions include "WHERE ARE YOU GOING TONIGHT", Chi K11 art space, Guangzhou (2018); "Noon Club", curated by Francesco Bonami, JNBY …Ai Weiwei (Chinese: 艾未未; pinyin: Ài Wèiwèi, English pronunciation: (help·info); born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up …Ai Weiwei . Born: August 28, 1957; Beijing, China ; Nationality: Chinese; Art Movement: Conceptual Art, Excessivism; Painting School: Stars; Genre: installation; Field: sculpture, architecture, installation, photography; Art …Soleil Levant (2017) was created by well-known and revered Chinese artist and activist, Ai Weiwei. For this installation, Weiwei attached a total of 14,000 life jackets that had each been utilized by various refugees to the columns of Berlin’s Konzerthaus concert hall. Life Jackets was not the first installation created by Ai to highlight the ... Discover and purchase Ai Weiwei’s artworks, available for sale. Browse our selection of paintings, prints, and sculptures by the artist, and find art you love. Wei Dong (Chinese, b.1968) is one of China’s best known avant-garde artists. Born during the height of the Cultural Revolution, he studied at the Beijing Academy of Arts and Crafts from 1985 to 1987, and earned his BA and the Best Graduate award from the Beijing Normal Institute in 1991. His work utilizes both western and traditional Chinese ... British, b. 1994. Faye Wei Wei’s ethereal, poetic paintings feature symbolic reveries and mythical iconography. On her large-scale canvases, the artist combines pastel hues with muted earth tones to render a unique feminine symbology she derives from folklore and art …. Discover and purchase Faye Wei Wei’s artworks, available for sale. Faye Wei Wei’s work will be part of a group show at The Cob Gallery, Royal College Street, NW1, from June 20-July 27; visit cobgallery.com. Faye Wei Wei’s workspace in her parents’ London … Liu Wei (Chinese, b.1972) works in many types of media including installation, video, drawing, painting, and sculpture. He graduated from the China Academy of Art in 1996 and began his career as part of a subversive movement that called itself Post-Sense Sensibility. The movement wanted to create extreme experiences for those seeing their work ... Li Wei (born in 1970, Hubei, China) is a contemporary artist from Beijing, China. His work often depicts him in apparently gravity-defying situations. Wei started off his performance series, Mirroring, and later on took off attention with his Falls series which shows the artist with his head and chest embedded into the ground.Xu Wei (Chinese: 徐渭; pinyin: Xú Wèi; Wade–Giles: Hsü Wei, 1521–1593) was a Ming dynasty Chinese painter, poet, writer and dramatist famed for his artistic expressiveness. Revolutionary for its time, his painting style influenced and inspired countless subsequent painters, such as Bada Shanren, the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, and ... Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist, activist, and filmmaker whose work spans various mediums, from sculpture and installation to architecture and photography. He has become a prominent figure in contemporary protest art, using his art to address social, cultural, and political issues in China and globally. Ai Weiwei’s importance and impact on ... Guan Wei was born in 1957 in Beijing. He graduated from Beijing Capital University's Department of Fine Arts in 1986. Wei was one of many young people who emigrated from China following the incidents at Tiananmen Square. In 1989, he relocated to Australia to undertake a residency at the Tasmanian School of Art.Ai Weiwei is a Chinese contemporary artist and activist. Ai grew up in the far north-west 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's stance on democracy and human rights. He investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the ...WEI ART. "Perhaps it is good to have a beautiful mind, but an even greater gift to discover a beautiful heart". With over 40 years of experience, master artist Wei Luan creates extraordinary paintings and murals for high profile clients …Faye Wei Wei’s work will be part of a group show at The Cob Gallery, Royal College Street, NW1, from June 20-July 27; visit cobgallery.com. Faye Wei Wei’s workspace in her parents’ London …Ai Wei Wei is an artist that puts political activism into his art in any place he feels there is a social injustice taking place or a need. This is why Ai Wei Wei considers himself an activist and an artist and he does not limit his art and activism just to China. 5. – Ai Wei Wei Uses Chinese Art Forms. Ai Wei Wei uses a lot of Chinese forms ...Feb 7, 2024 · Maria Sturm for The New York Times. As the Year of the Dragon dawns, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has released “Zodiac,” a “graphic memoir” of scenes from his career — both real (hanging ... Liu Wei (Chinese, b.1972) works in many types of media including installation, video, drawing, painting, and sculpture. He graduated from the China Academy of Art in 1996 and began his career as part of a subversive movement that called itself Post-Sense Sensibility. The movement wanted to create extreme experiences for those seeing their work ...The Chinese government imprisoned Ai Weiwei for 81 days in 2011. That time is the subject of a near-life-size installation by the artist. See what it was like for the artist behind bars.Ai Weiwei with his father, Ai Qing, at Tiananmen Square, Beijing, 1959. Photograph: Courtesy of Ai Weiwei. It’s true that Ai’s trajectory is impossible to understand without knowing about his ...Liu Wei (artist) Liu Wei ( Chinese: 刘韡; born 1972 [1] in Beijing) is a Chinese artist based in Beijing. He works in varied media – video, installation, drawing, sculpture, and painting – with no uniting stylistic tendency, though the Saatchi Gallery finds a uniting theme of "a sentiment of excess, corruption, and aggression reflective ... 1 of 10. Summary of Ai Weiwei. Ai Weiwei is the most famous Chinese artist living today. As an activist, he calls attention to human rights violations on an epic scale; as an artist, he expands the definition of art to include new forms of social engagement. On a spring morning back in 2011, then-mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg welcomed visitors to the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s first major public sculpture project in Grand Army Plaza, near ...Dissident Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei at his exhibition, ‘Making Sense’, at the Design Museum, in London, April 4, 2023 [Kin Cheung/AP] Born into a ‘system of oppression’Discover and purchase Liu Wei 刘韡 (b. 1972)’s artworks, available for sale. Browse our selection of paintings, prints, and sculptures by the artist, and find art you love.CIRCA. Map. Ai Weiwei: Observations on Power and Surveillance. Written by Charlie Colville. Ai Weiwei, Study of Perspective, 3 October 2020, CIRCA. Photographed by Marcus Peel. As we enter the last quarter of 2020, a new platform for the creation and exhibition of digital art was launched in the heart of Piccadilly Circus.Ai Weiwei has been called the most influential artist of our time. After denouncing government corruption and lack of respect for human rights and freedom of speech in …This work is derived from the Eleventh Unilever Series commission for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall for which Ai created 1-125,000,000 2010, a bed of ceramic sunflower seeds installed across the floor of the space. The Unilever Series commission was the first time Ai Weiwei presented this multitude of sunflower seeds as a continuous rectangular ...Large-scale Ai Weiwei works will also be installed outside the exhibition gallery, in the museum’s free-to-enter spaces as well as outside the building. Ai Weiwei: Making Sense runs at the ...First published on Wed 15 Nov 2023 08.07 EST. The artist Ai Weiwei has defended the importance of free speech after a London gallery put his show on hold over a tweet about the Israel-Hamas war ...Faye Wei Wei graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art in 2016, where she was awarded the Cass Art Painting Prize. Her first solo exhibition was "Anemones and Lovers" at Cob Gallery in April 2017. She has been featured in group shows including "Eclectic Dreamers" at Siegfried Contemporary in London; "Summer Blue" at Lychee …Apr 11, 2021 · Here are six key works from across Ai Weiwei’s career. Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, 1995. One of Ai’s earliest works titled Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn demonstrates the artist’s desire to provoke outrage and controversy. Just as the name suggests, Ai photographed himself smashing a 2,000-year-old ceremonial urn from the Han Dynasty (206 BCE ... Sep 12, 2012 · Ai Weiwei (Chinese: 艾未未; pinyin: Ài Wèiwèi, English pronunciation: (help·info); 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. ai weiwei‘s ‘S.A.C.R.E.D’ installation is a six-part work composed of six iron boxes depicting scenes from the chinese artist’s 81-day incarceration back in 2011. divided accordingly: (i ...Jo Metson Scott. “Honestly, I think it’s a useless building,” says Ai Weiwei in mid-October, talking outside his new studio, an imposing wood-framed structure nearing completion on a barren ...Apr 5, 2023 · In 2020, the artist created a toilet roll from marble in response to the pandemic. Photo is courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio. Among the other pieces in the exhibition, the artist presented a pair of ... Material and Form. Despite overlaying symbolism, Wu's canvases prioritise material and form to convey a more direct experience of spirituality through touch and visual encounter. In Wu's works, creaturely canvases are stripped from their mythologies, leaving viewers with furry forms stripped of narrative. Accordingly, bright pink assemblages ...Here are six key works from across Ai Weiwei’s career. Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, 1995. One of Ai’s earliest works titled Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn demonstrates the artist’s desire to provoke outrage and controversy. Just as the name suggests, Ai photographed himself smashing a 2,000-year-old ceremonial urn from the …Ai Weiwei Biography. Born in 1957 in Beijing, the multi-media artist Ai Weiwei is known as much for his art as he is for his activism. Shorty after Ai’s birth, his father was deemed an enemy of the communist regime and sent to a labor camp. Growing up largely in exile in remote parts of China, Ai later attended the Beijing Film Academy before ...One such artist who has significantly increased his popularity in recent years is Ai Weiwei, a Chinese artist and activist renowned for his political impact (Cheng, 2011). In June 2011, Ai Weiwei was released from prison after purportedly confessing to crimes, following an international campaign advocating for his freedom and family reunion …Ai Weiwei (Chinese: 艾未未; pinyin: Ài Wèiwèi, English pronunciation: (help·info); born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and … Ai Weiwei Biography. Born in 1957 in Beijing, the multi-media artist Ai Weiwei is known as much for his art as he is for his activism. Shorty after Ai’s birth, his father was deemed an enemy of the communist regime and sent to a labor camp. Growing up largely in exile in remote parts of China, Ai later attended the Beijing Film Academy before ... Ai Weiwei is one of the best known artists working today. View Ai Weiwei’s 1,173 artworks on artnet. Find an in-depth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for sale, the latest news, and sold auction prices. See available prints and multiples, sculpture, and photographs for sale and learn about the artist.Ai Weiwei is an artist with a very new kind of visibility. He has transcended his artwork to become a worldly figure who, for many, symbolizes the assertion of freedom of expression against great odds. Using the fame and recognition garnered by his art, he has taken on issues that could not be raised publically in China.Interview with Chinese Artist Tian Wei: Calligraphy in the West. A. J. Samuels 06 January 2017. Contemporary artist Tian Wei spent much of his life traveling between the United States and China, which left a profound mark on his painting style and ideas. Although his work is heavily influenced by the works of Western and particularly …Dissident Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei at his exhibition, ‘Making Sense’, at the Design Museum, in London, April 4, 2023 [Kin Cheung/AP] Born into a ‘system of oppression’ Ai Weiwei: Making Sense. This major exhibition, developed in collaboration with Ai Weiwei himself, is the first to present his work as a commentary on design and what it reveals about our changing values. The show mixes recent works with commissioned pieces, inviting us into a meditation on value and humanity, art and activism. By Keith B. Richburg. April 3, 2011 at 10:06 p.m. EDT. BEIJING — Ai Weiwei, one of China's most prominent artists and an outspoken critic of the communist regime, was taken from Beijing's ...Weiwei is a conceptual artist and activist, born in China. As the son of the Chinese poet Ai Quing, who was accused in the Anti-Rightist movement, Ai Weiwei and his family were sent off to live in Shihezi. Sixteen years later they returned to Beijing. In 1981, Ai Weiwei moved to the US to study abroad.Exiled Chinese artist Ai Weiwei: 'Censorship in West exactly the same as Mao's China' The exiled Chinese artist spoke to Sky's Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips about the cancellation of his ...Sep 12, 2012 · Ai Weiwei (Chinese: 艾未未; pinyin: Ài Wèiwèi, English pronunciation: (help·info); 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. "A Dialogue with Nature: Artist Talk with Z.Z. Wei", Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Bainbridge Island, WA. 2018 "Shadow Stories" exhibition artist lecture, Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, GA. 2015 "Z. Z. Wei, At One in the Landscape, An Artist's Journey", Seattle Channel TV program, produced by John Forsen. 2011 Ai Weiwei, Template, 2007, wooden doors and windows from Ming- and Qing-dynasty temples and wooden base. Installation view, Ai Weiwei’s studio, Beijing. AI WEIWEI’S CONTRIBUTION to Documenta 12 is titled Fairytale, but in China, where Ai is as famous as a movie star, people have acerbically taken to calling it “Yellow Peril.”The original …Chien Chung-Wei is an award winning Taiwanese watercolor artist making his teaching debut in North America. And his first workshop is with us! Chien Chung-Wei paintings look timeless, yet have a modern and contemporary feel, that is bringing him great success in North America and Europe. He is the first Taiwanese artist to have ever received ...Monumental art speaks truth to power. 6 collaborations. "The individual’s yearning for freedom can never be repressed. It always finds expression, in one form or another." Ai Weiwei is unafraid to speak truth to power. He’s one of the most famous living artists today – a testament to the breadth and vision of his practice.Mar 13, 2024 · Ai Weiwei. Ai Weiwei was born in Beijing, China in 1957. An outspoken human rights activist, Ai was arrested by Chinese authorities in April 2011 and held incommunicado for three months. Upon his release, he was prohibited from traveling abroad, engaging in public speech, and was subjected to continued government surveillance. Liang Wei. Right about now, 2014. Magician Space. Liang Wei. Without Hesitation , 2017. Magician Space. Discover and purchase Liang Wei’s artworks, available for sale. Browse our selection of paintings, prints, and sculptures by the artist, and find art you love.Ai WeiWei's work is a recreation of one of Monet's most famous paintings. The Chinese artist decided to use this unusual material for his piece as the pixel-like blocks are a reminder of the ... For years, conceptual artist Ai Weiwei has been bringing worldwide attention to China’s authoritarian regime through his artwork and his deft use of social media. And every step of the way ... Discover and purchase Liu Wei 刘韡 (b. 1972)’s artworks, available for sale. Browse our selection of paintings, prints, and sculptures by the artist, and find art you love.Ai Weiwei is one of China’s most prolific and provocative contemporary artists. Featuring over forty works spanning more than twenty years, Ai Weiwei: According to What? explores universal topics of culture, history, …Chien Chung-Wei is a frequent contributor in many Western publications, including numerous articles and awards in the Art of Watercolor Magazine and International Artist. Chien’s paintings are filled with atmosphere and light, and appear to embrace the spirit and temperament of Western watercolor masters. Chien creates beauty and intrigue of ...Chen Wei. Chen Wei (b. 1980) lives and works in Beijing. He focuses on social themes such as urban landscape and disco culture, and works with photography and installation. His recent solo exhibitions include "WHERE ARE YOU GOING TONIGHT", Chi K11 art space, Guangzhou (2018); "Noon Club", curated by Francesco Bonami, JNBY … Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist, activist, and filmmaker whose work spans various mediums, from sculpture and installation to architecture and photography. He has become a prominent figure in contemporary protest art, using his art to address social, cultural, and political issues in China and globally. Ai Weiwei’s importance and impact on ... Here, Ai Weiwei opens up about his experience in prison, the relationship between imprisonment and surveillance, and the role of architecture in the prison industrial complex. The 'Prisons' Issue of CLOG . Image via CLOG . CLOG in conversation with Chinese artist/activist Ai Weiwei at his Beijing studio on February 26, 2014.Oct 30, 2021 · 1000 YEARS OF JOYS AND SORROWS A Memoir By Ai Weiwei Translated by Allan H. Barr “You’re just a pawn in the game, you know,” a public security officer summarily informs Ai Weiwei, China’s ... Feb 27, 2022 · The Chinese artist, activist, and filmmaker Ai Weiwei slumped in a chair at the Kettle’s Yard gallery, in Cambridge. He had a trimmed goatee and was dressed all in black, the heels of his shoes ... Liu Wei is a contemporary Chinese painter known for his involvement in the Cynical Realism movement.In Liu Wei’s well-known painting New Generation (1990), the infant figures of the artist and his brother are sitting in front of a large image of Mao Zedong but looking away from it. Born in 1965 in Beijing, China, he studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, …Ai Weiwei is a contemporary artist and an avid Chinese civil rights activist, all rolled into one. He was born on August 28, 1957, to a poet father, Ai Qing, and a writer mother, Gao Ying. Like him, his father was a low-key activist and was consequently detained by the Nationalist regime on the suspicion that he was a Leftist.
Luo Wei (simplified Chinese: 罗苇; born in 1989) is a Chinese visual artist working in performance, photography, painting, theatre, audio and installation art.She often combines media to produce her art and bases it on science and biology.Luo's methods in her creative practice also include working collaboratively and a focus on academic research.. Melin
In this episode, we meet Ai Weiwei in Athens for his solo exhibition at the Cycladic Museum. We revisit his most iconic works and see how Ai Weiwei became th...Contemporary artist and human-rights activist Ai Weiwei came to international prominence for his open criticism of the Chinese government’s autocratic …This fall, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will host his most recent installation @Large in the notorious former penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, off the coast of San …Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries. Han Jar Overpainted with Coca-Cola Logo. Ai Weiwei Chinese ... Artist: Ai Weiwei (Chinese, born Beijing, 1957) Date: 1995. Culture: China. Medium: Earthenware, paint. Dimensions: H. 9 7/8 in. (25 cm); Diam. 11 in ...Ai Wei Wei is an artist that puts political activism into his art in any place he feels there is a social injustice taking place or a need. This is why Ai Wei Wei considers himself an activist and an artist and he does not limit his art and activism just to China. 5. – Ai Wei Wei Uses Chinese Art Forms. Ai Wei Wei uses a lot of Chinese forms ...Apr 3, 2023 · Ai Weiwei smashes it, Steve McQueen stuns and Brookside goes ceramic – the week in art 7 Apr 2023 Ai Weiwei’s Lego re-imagining of Monet’s water lilies to go on show in London In 2007, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei brought 1,001 of his compatriots to Documenta for a city-wide performance called Fairytale, and Template, a 39-foot-tall structure made of doors and windows salvaged …Discover and purchase Liu Wei 刘炜 (b. 1965)’s artworks, available for sale. Browse our selection of paintings, prints, and sculptures by the artist, and find art you love. Z.Z. Wei. Z.Z. Wei was born in 1957 in Beijing, China. He began painting at a young age during China’s Cultural Revolution. After finishing his BFA in China in 1984, Wei was invited to the States in 1989 by the Washington State Centennial Commission to participate in the Pacific Rim Cultural Connection Project and to be a resident artist at ... This fall, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will host his most recent installation @Large in the notorious former penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, off the coast of San …Christina Larson. October 2014. Ai sits in a replica of the prison cell in which he was detained in 2011. No one in China, he has said, "has a solid belief or trust in society." Gilles Sabrie ...Feb 7, 2024 · Maria Sturm for The New York Times. As the Year of the Dragon dawns, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has released “Zodiac,” a “graphic memoir” of scenes from his career — both real (hanging ... Discover The Art of Wei Feng, a Chinese Concept Artist and Illustrator with 14 years painting career.The Chinese government imprisoned Ai Weiwei for 81 days in 2011. That time is the subject of a near-life-size installation by the artist. See what it was like for the artist behind bars.Ai Weiwei’s desire to court controversy. Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn as an artwork is brilliant and a work of total ingenuity, but in between the lines, it says a lot about the artist: his desire to court controversy. The return of Ai Weiwei to China after living in New York City for more than a decade in 1981–1993 marked the beginning of a new …Monumental art speaks truth to power. 6 collaborations. "The individual’s yearning for freedom can never be repressed. It always finds expression, in one form or another." Ai Weiwei is unafraid to speak truth to power. He’s one of the most famous living artists today – a testament to the breadth and vision of his practice.Ai Weiwei. A global citizen, artist and thinker, Ai Weiwei moves between modes of production and investigation, subject to the direction and outcome of his research, whether into the Chinese earthquake of 2008 (for works such as Straight, 2008-12 and Remembering, 2009) or the worldwide plight of refugees and forced migrants (for Law of ….