Introduction
Ai Weiwei (Chinese: 艾未未; pinyin: Ài Wèiwèi, English pronunciation ; born 28 August 1957 in Beijing) is a Chinese contemporary artist and activist. His father's (Ai Qing) original surname was written Jiang (蔣). Ai collaborated with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron as the artistic consultant on the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics. As a political activist, he has been highly and openly critical of the Chinese Government's stance on democracy and human rights. He has investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan schools corruption scandal following the collapse of so-called "tofu-dreg schools" in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. In 2011, following his arrest at Beijing Capital International Airport on 3 April, he was held for 81 days without any official charges being filed; officials alluded to their allegations of "economic crimes". Since being allowed to leave China in 2015, he has been living in Berlin, Germany, with his family, working on installations, and traveling extensively.
Wikidata
Q160115
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Introduction
Attended the Beijing Film Academy, then the Art Students League and Parsons School of Design in New York City, from 1981. He returned to China in 1993. He was editor and publisher of art magazines Black Paper, White Paper, and Gray Paper in the mid-1990s, and has been active in the fields of architecture, landscape design, and city planning, as well as constructing works that are more accurately described as sculptural installations.
Nationality
Chinese
Gender
Male
Roles
Artist, Architect, Curator, Designer, Publisher, Landscape Architect, Conceptual Artist, Installation Artist, Sculptor
Names
Ai Weiwei, Weiwei Ai, Ai Wei Wei, Wei-wei Ai, 艾未未
Ulan
500125586
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Information from Getty’s Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License