Ai
Weiwei

One of his most famous works is the 2008 Sunflower Seeds installation at the Tate Modern in London, where he filled the museum's Turbine Hall with 100 million hand-painted porcelain seeds. This artwork highlighted the mass-production phenomenon in China and raised questions about individuality and collective identity.

Another famous work, or rather series of works, addressing these themes is Ai Weiwei's Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn. It is a performance piece, documented in a series of three photographic stills in print, and later recreated in Lego form, in which the artist lets an ancient ceramic urn fall from his hands, smashing irreversibly on impact with the ground. Drawing on Modern Art's readymade (coined by Marcel Duchamp), Ai Weiwei described the urn as a 'cultural readymade'; by intentionally breaking the object he symbolically desecrates the whole of canonical Chinese cultural heritage. The work offers commentary on the high valuation of traditional Chinese culture which has been repeatedly idealised by Chinese regimes as a means of creating a glorified national history and cohesive cultural identity, at the cost of censorship of contemporary artists and political critics.

Demonstrating the breadth of his capacity to work across artistic mediums, in 2007, Ai Weiwei collaborated with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron as the artistic consultant for designing the iconic Beijing National Stadium, also known as the “Bird's Nest,” for the 2008 Olympic Games. With this project, Ai Weiwei gained exposure and was catapulted into global fame, but his outspoken criticism of the Chinese government's handling of human rights and freedom of speech issues later led to a strained relationship with the authorities.

Ai Weiwei's activism gained further international attention in 2008 when he launched a citizen's investigation into the Sichuan earthquake, which revealed the substandard, shoddy construction of schools that led to the deaths of thousands of children. His persistent advocacy for human rights and social justice has resulted in surveillance, detention, and travel restrictions by the Chinese government. In 2011, Ai Weiwei was detained for 81 days without charge, which sparked global protests and calls for his release.

In 2015, Ai Weiwei's travel ban was lifted, and he relocated to Germany, where he raises his young son, and has continued to create art that raises awareness about pressing global issues such as the refugee crisis and political repression. He has received numerous accolades for his work, including the 2012 Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent, a 2015 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award, and a 2017 honorary doctorate from the University of the Arts London.

As an internationally acclaimed artist, Ai Weiwei has been hosted in solo, group and retrospective exhibitions globally for many years, with notable shows at institutions including London's Royal Academy of Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Toronto's Gardiner Museum, Kettle's Yard, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. He has also made significant contributions at acclaimed biennales such as Documenta 12, in 2007, and the Venice Biennale in 2013.

Today, Ai Weiwei remains a fearless and influential figure in the world of contemporary art, using his platform to promote human rights, freedom of expression, and social change. His provocative and courageous spirit continues to inspire and challenge audiences worldwide.