what is ai weiwei famous for
// Hide the errors } if (!$modal.length) { var valid = ctx.validate( $form, $email); + ' @media (max-width: 575px){ #ouibounce-modal {display:none !important;} }' Even to people unfamiliar with the art world, Ai is a source of fascination and admiration. d.setTime(d.getTime() + (expMinutes*60*1000)); var expirationMinutes = settings.expiration_minutes; Ai Weiwei: The artwork that made me the most dangerous person in China Photographs of missing children in the rubble after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. var name = prefix + cname + "="; return; crossDomain: true, + '
' .removeClass('slideOutDown slideOutUp') // Add animation css setCookie(cookieName, value, expirationMinutes); link.type = 'text/css'; The central rule that objects closer to the eye must appear larger is being used to showcase an offensive gesture expressing Ai's basic disdain for state power, which is by no means limited to China. }, setNewsletterCookie('recentlyShown', 1); Ai Weiwei: The most important artist alive? }); This was the beginning of a long conflict between Ai and the Chinese government, which continues to this day. Probably the most famous contemporary artist of China, Ai is an active supporter of human rights and is extremely vocal about the matter. After a total of 81 days in captivity, Ai was released and placed under house arrest, his passport confiscated. In 2005, Ai was invited to start blogging by Sina Weibo, the biggest internet platform in China. Ai Weiwei, The Sichuan Earthquake and The Networked Social Movement if (prefix == undefined) { Early on, Ai Wei Wei did got a pretty good amount of supporters from in and out of China, because 1.) Amazingly prolific, endlessly creative, and still fearlessly speaking out and fighting for human rights, Ai Weiwei has finally managed to leave China—perhaps forever. February 1, 2013, By Fergus Ryan / o[this.name] = this.value || ''; Even to people unfamiliar with the art world, Ai is a source of fascination and admiration. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, The Reichstag in Berlin and the White House in Washington D.C. all get the same treatment in these parodies of Renaissance perspective. // Init - Anything you want to happen onLoad (usually event bindings) Now you have the equal opportunity to equip yourself through information and knowledge and express yourself as an independent mind. }; setTimeout(function() { type: $form.attr('method'), script.src = "https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.1.1.min.js"; If you … document.cookie = prefix + cname + "=" + cvalue + ";" + expires + ";path=/"; // Handler for close signup button ", "Self-censorship is insulting to the self. } url: $form.attr('action'), //if any of these cookies are found, we don't show the modal. }); e.preventDefault(); })(); Want to stay ahead of the art world? Ai stated that he had meant to target "Feudalism", explaining that the gate had been built by a Ming Emperor. Ai Weiwei, Wade-Giles romanization Ai Wei-wei, (born May 18?, 1957, Beijing, China), Chinese artist and activist who produced a multifaceted array of creative work, including sculptural installations, architectural projects, photographs, and videos. Find an in-depth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for sale, the latest news, and sold auction prices. return c.substring(name.length,c.length); 'slideOutDown': 'slideOutUp' ); While in the West, drinking tea (especially from Chinese porcelain) has historically been a status symbol, tea is the everyday drink in China. When Ai was arrested and interrogated by the Chinese police in 2011, his interviewers limited their questions, however, to this particular photograph, demanding an explanation. // Append ouibounce to page His work is designed to remind us that risk-taking is an essential form of exercise in a free society. Ai Weiwei, To Fight With Crossed Arms (2007) Photo: courtesy Hamburg Kennedy Photographs Ai Weiwei is one of the world’s most famous artists, consistently topping power lists and grabbing headlines around the globe. pagetypeurl = document.URL, Fearless and fascinating, what will he do next? $form.find('.errors').children().hide(); // of subscribing, or managing their account The Guardian / March 27, 2015 / bottom: 0 } In 2012, Ai Weiwei argued that China’s art world does not exist. .addClass( 'slideIn' + upOrDown ); China has an illustrious history of dissidents, anti-authoritarian originals and eccentrics, from the drunken monks of pre-history to counter-culture artists living in today's Beijing. He is an architect, sculptor, photographer, designer, and activist. + '
' function checkCookies() { Ai quickly circumvented China’s web restrictions and continued to speak out online, and resumed his prolific output as an artist. var $modal = $('#ouibounce-modal'); The blog was shut down by Sina on 28 May 2009. var $modal = $('#ouibounce-modal'); clearInterval(initOuibounce); He posted his first blog on 19 November. } // FUNCTIONS Timidity is a hopeless way forward. + '<\/div>' if (o[this.name]) { Lilies expresses purity of heart, majesty and honor. He has been vocal and openly critical of the Chinese government’s stance on democracy and human rights. slideInModal('Up'); The Han dynasty is considered a defining moment in Chinese civilization. } By now, Ai is known as much for his activism as he is for his art. October 25, 2015, By Christopher Beam / Also known as the "Gate of Heavenly Peace", and formerly the front entrance to the Forbidden City, this was also the site of the brutal massacre in 1989 in which state soldiers shot peaceful protesters. email: /^([a-zA-Z0-9_\.\-])+\@(([a-zA-Z0-9\-])+\. Straight, which remains one of his most poignant and memorable pieces, consists of 150 tons of straightened steel rebar, recovered from buildings collapsed by the Sichuan earthquake. Trained in the West, Ai is intimately familiar with. if (c.indexOf(name) == 0) { Donald Judd and Robert Morris were among the artists Ai admired. }); $form.submit(function(e){ In what first appears to be a classic tourist snapshot, Ai sticks his middle finger up at Tiananmen Square Gate. + '
' }, His work has captured global attention and served to bring attention to social injustices, human rights violations and systemic violence. In Beijing, Galleria Continua presents the artist’s very first solo exhibition in his native country, on view through December 6, 2015. Photograph: Steffen Roth/The Observer “When a friend showed me the space, it was in a very bad condition,” Ai recalls. What the future holds for this influential artist is a mystery, but what we can say for sure is that no matter what happens, the world will be watching. } The production continued for more than two years producing more than 100 million seeds weighing over 150 metric tons that can cover 1000 square meters of the Turbine Hall. // don't show it on paywall-related pages where the user might be in the process In 2008, he began to post research gathered for his piece Straight (2008), which explores the circumstances surrounding the high number of schools that crumbled during the Sichuan earthquake that year. var $email = $form.find('.signup-email'); expiration_days: 5 Emblazoned on the side of Tate Modern, where he has installed his celebrated work Sunflower Seeds (2011), were the words: “Release Ai Weiwei.”. + '
' ", "If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?". var $modal = $('#ouibounce-modal'); His installation at the Venice Biennial in 2013, S.A.C.R.E.D., recreated the cell he had been held in. ", "The art always wins. September 2015, By Alistair Sooke / var ca = document.cookie.split(';'); Ai Weiwei’s birth flower is Lily of the valley. Ai Weiwei, Handcuffs (2012). All Rights Reserved, Ai Weiwei: Spatial Matters - Art Architecture and Activism, Ai Weiwei's blog: Writings, interviews and digital rants, 2006-2009. + '
' A cultural figure of international renown, Ai Weiwei is an activist, architect, curator, filmmaker, and China’s most famous artist. Ai's awareness of Western trends and Eastern ideas locates the work at the center of a global matrix crisscrossing the world, a persistent feature of his approach as an artist. Henri Neuendorf, addCss('https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/animate.css/3.5.2/animate.min.css'); $.fn.serializeFormJSON = function () { onSuccess(); April 2, 2014, By Christina Larson / /** He is pretty infamous. $.ajax({ He became so popular and well-regarded that he was hired as a consultant to work with architects Herzog and de Meuron to design the Bird’s Nest Stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics—a huge endorsement from the government. Ai Weiwei Kui Hua Zi (Sun Flower Seeds), (2009). var paywallPagesRegex = /^\/subscribe|subscribe-confirm|my-account(\/|$)/; if (getCookie(cookieNames[i]).length) { var head = document.head //default prefix is 'artnet_newsletter_' prefix = 'artnet_newsletter_'; } Twitter has since been barred in China, yet Ai has managed to maintain a strong presence and currently has 298,000 followers. + '<\/div>' Ai came of age as an art student in 1990s New York. // Signup submission function daysToMinutes(numDays) { Ai said his father, the poet Ai Qing, was his single greatest influence. Ai Weiwei is the most famous Chinese artist living today. Auckland Writers Festival: Nineteen ways to be Ai Weiwei 30 Apr, 2021 10:00 PM 10 minutes to read Ai WeiWei, who is part of the international lineup at the Auckland Arts Festival. //console.log(prefix + cname + "=" + cvalue + ";" + expires + ";path=/"); + '