Ai Weiwei

 

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is currently one of the most important and internationally impactful artists in his country. As the son of the nation’s most renowned and politically challenged contemporary poet Ai Qing, Ai Weiwei has been exposed to the idea of nationalism, communism, and government interventions since young. This background has led Ai to the art styles and themes that made him who he was today, a human rights activist. Ai’s works are mainly focused on different incidents of human right violation happening around the world, and he never stopped voicing and supporting those who are treated unfairly. Ai valued his cultural background deeply, and it could be seen from the fact that a vast majority of his artworks are related to China. These works range from architectures, large installations, sculptures, photos, documentaries, and many more, but they are all connected in a way that expresses his beliefs in the cultural and social aspects of his country and social injustice happening globally. Some of his latest works addresses nation-wide or world-wide human rights crisis, including government corruption in the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, the Global RefugeeCrisis since 2018, and the Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.