Ai WeiWei's international status as a successful artist has not protected him from confrontation with the Chinese authorities, who abhor his pro-democracy views.
Ai Weiwei and his installation Sunflower Seeds in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern gallery, in London Photo: REUTERS
In October 2010, Ai WeiWei exhibited his artwork Sunflower Seeds, consisting of one hundred million porcelain “seeds” in the prestigious Turbine Hall of London’s Tate Modern gallery. He was also a key figure in the artistic design of Beijing’s showcase Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium in 2008.
Mr Ai has been at the forefront of experimental art since co-founding the Starrs, an avant garde art group, in 1978.
Having spent several years in the United States, he returned to China in 1993 and helped establish the experimental artists’ Beijing East Village. He later co-founded The Chinese United Overseas Artists Association and in 2000 co-curated the controversial exhibition “F--- off” in Shanghai.
His work has been exhibited in Australia, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Along with his artistic success, his outspoken criticism of the authoritarian regime in China has put him on a collision course with the government, and he caused outrage when he distanced himself from the Beijing National Stadium project, which he called a “pretend smile” in reference to the country’s appalling human rights record.
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