Unclaimed
Ai Weiwei
History & Commentary
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese contemporary artist and activist whose political artworks and public commentary address government power, democracy and human rights.
Biography
Ai Weiwei, born in 1957, is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian and activist. He grew up in harsh conditions in northwestern China following his father’s exile. His work includes political sculptures, photographs, installations and public works. He also helped design Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium.
Ai has openly criticized the Chinese government’s positions on democracy and human rights. He investigated corruption and cover-ups surrounding school collapses during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. In April 2011, he was arrested at Beijing Capital International Airport and detained for 81 days without charge. Since being permitted to leave China in 2015, he has lived in Portugal, Germany and the United Kingdom. His memoir connects his life and artistic development with his father Ai Qing’s experiences and China’s history.
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Books by Ai Weiwei
1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows
1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows traces a century of Chinese history through Ai Weiwei’s life and the legacy of his father, poet Ai Qing. The memoir recounts childhood exile, art studies in America, his return to China, and the relationship between his artistic work and human rights activism.