What makes Weiwei Ai a Global Shaker?
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese contemporary artist and activist.
As an artist his work spans across media: sculpture, installation, photography, performance, documentary film and architecture.
He collaborated with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron as the artistic consultant on the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
He is also one of the world’s most important artist-activists and a powerful documentary filmmaker. His work and art call attention to attacks on democracy and free speech, abuses of human rights, and human displacement — often on an epic, international scale.
He has been incredibly vocal 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 China, WeiWei — a brave and unrelenting critic of the authoritarian regime — has spent time in jail, was not allowed by the government to leave Beijing for a year and cannot travel without official permission. As a result, he has become a symbol of the struggle for human rights in China.
Since being allowed to leave China in 2015, he has been living in Berlin, Germany, with his family, working on installations, and travelling extensively.
Tags: Art, china, Philosophy“Art is about aesthetics, about morals, about our beliefs in humanity. Without that there is simply no art,” — Ai Weiwei
Last updated: November 21, 2019
Next Profile
Travel
The Best Hikes in Chile: Unforgettable Views
Social
Dunedin Becomes Latest City To Back Regenerative ‘Doughnut…
Environment
The Younger Dryas a Glimpse Into The Past
Russell Brand
Stay Free With…
Joe Rogan
Tim Stokely
OnlyFans
Alejandro Oñoro
ILUNION Hotels
Anu Taranath
University of…
Sophia Hyder-Hock
Papilia
Shiva Dhakal
Royal Mountain…
Jazzmine Raine
Hara House
Amanda Ho
Regenerative Travel
Solange Barbosa
Rota da Liberdade
Ko Doo-hwan
Fair Travel Korea
Vicente Ferreyra
Sustentur
Judy Kepher-Gona
Sustainable Travel &…
Lebawit Lily Girma
See The Caribbean
Jacqueline Ngo Mpii
Little Africa
Paula Vlamings
Tourism Cares
Damiano Avellino
Fairbnb coop
Clément Simonneau
Les Oiseaux de…
Justin Francis
Responsible Travel
Martha Honey
Center for…
Ana Duék
Viajar Verde
Jonathon Day
Purdue University
Kelley Louise
Impact Travel…
Orit Strauss
Giving Way
Jessica Blotter
Kind Traveler
Manisha Pande
Village Ways
Harold Goodwin
Manchester…
Karl Watson
Inntravel
Chris Baker
OneSeed Expeditions
James Thornton
Intrepid Travel
Anna Pollock
Conscious Travel
Jim Sano
World Wildlife Fund
Galli Zugaro
Aqua Expeditions
Shannon Stowell
Adventure Travel…
Randy Durband
Global Sustainable…
Paloma Zapata
Sustainable Travel…
Jonathan Tourtellot
Destination…
Jeremy Sampson
The Travel…
Albert Salman
Green Destinations
Sandra Khan and David Leventhal
Playa Viva
Zurab Pololikashvili
UN World Tourism…
Oliver Ripley
Habitas
Abbie Synan
Speck on the Globe
Caitlin Murray
Purposeful Nomad
Ibram X Kendi
Sara Giménez
Fundación…
Ijeoma Oluo
The Establishment at…
Michelle Alexander
Bright Simons
mPedigree
Phumzile Mlambo
UN Women
Bernice Dapaah
Ghana Bamboo Bikes…
Seyi Akiwowo
Glitch
Indya Moore
Beetlefruit Media
Chaz Bono
Amr Sobhy (عمرو صبحي)
PushBots
Sam Clarke
Scrap The Mask
Abiy Ahmed Ali
Government of…
Alicia Garza
Black Lives Matter
Tarana Burke
Girls for Gender…
Raquel Willis
Rachel Cargle
Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Dolores Huerta
Dolores Huerta…
Anuradha Koirala
Maiti Nepal
Charlene Carruthers
The Chicago Center…
Joshua Wong
Demosistō
Sanna Marin
Finnish Government
Megan Rapinoe
Cornel West
Harvard
Brené Brown
Russell Brand
Kwame Anthony Appiah
NYU
Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw
UCLA
Thea Sommerseth Myhren
Diwala
Chris Zhong
Blockchain…
Daisy Ozim
Resilient Wellness
Connie Gallippi
BitGive Foundation
Lual Mayen
Junub Games
Jon Roozenbeek
Bad News
Ricardo Galvão
Jonathan Silverstein
OrbiMed
Helen Hai
Made in Africa…
Maliha Abidi
Alice Nkom
Arsham Parsi
Iranian Railroad for…
Liv Little
Gal-Dem
Peter Tatchell
The Peter Tatchell…
Lena Waithe
Phyll Opoku-Gyimah
UK Black Pride
Jazz Jennings
Trans Kids Purple…
Laverne Cox
Tyler Oakley
Angela Eagle
Janet Mock
DeRay Mckesson
Campaign Zero
Ann Mei Chang
Pete for America
RuPaul
RuPaul's Drag Race
Anthony Romero
American Civil…
Dora Palfi
imagiLabs
Chris Hughes
Economic Security…
Ikponwosa Ero
United Nations
Jennifer Pritzker
Tawani Foundation
Dame Ellen MacArthur
The Ellen MacArthur…
Virginia Gardiner
Loowatt
Michael Ford
Hip Hop Architecture…
Komal Ahmad
Copia
Arunachalam Muruganantham
Jayaashree…
Jacinda Ardern
Government of New…
Mariana Costa Checa
Laboratoria
Keithlin Caroo
Helen's Daughters
Mama Cax
Alok Vaid-Menon
Jessamyn Stanley
The UnderBelly
Lizzo
Tess Holliday
Robert F. Smith
Vista Equity…
Harnaam Kaur
Chidera Eggerue
Bryony Gordon
Munroe Bergdorf
GODDESS
Jameela Jamil
I Weigh
Aliko Dangote
Dangote Industries
Ben Francis
Gymshark
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
AHA Foundation
Shireen Ebadi
Defenders of Human…
Malala Yousafzai (ملاله…
Malala Fund
Slavoj Zizek
The European…
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
Isha Foundation
Simon Sinek
Start With Why
Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins…
Jordan Peterson
University of…
Yuval Noah Harari
Hebrew University of…
Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Royal Society
Paul Lister
The European Nature…
Edwin Broni-Mensah
Give Me Tap
Philip Wilson
Sir Anthony Seldon
University of…
Dr. Denis Mukwege
Panzi Hospital
Hu Weiwei (胡玮炜)
Mobike
Cindy Mi (米雯娟)
VIPKID
Guillaume Fourdinier
Agricool
Josephine Goube
Techfugees
Claire Dove
Blackburne House…
Servane Mouazane
Ogunte CIC
Heledd Kendrick
Recruit for Spouses
Mia Morris
Well Placed…
Lord Rumi Verjee
Rumi Foundation
Dietmar Hopp
SAP
AKON
Akon Lighting Africa
Sigrid Rausing
Sigrid Rausing Trust
Carlos Slim
Grupo Carso
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey…
Renu Mehta
Fortune Forum
Andrew Forrest
Fortescue Metals…
Charles Chen
Chen Yidan…
Subhash Chandra
Essel Group
Anand Mahindra
Mahindra Group
Yao Ming
Yao Ming Foundation
Warren Buffet
Berkshire Hathaway
Muhammad Yunus
Grameen Bank
George Soros
Open Society…
J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter…
Lord David Sainsbury
Gatsby Charitable…
Didier Seeuws
European Council
Sarah Healey
Department for…
Oliver Robbins
UK Government
Christoph M Schmidt
German Council of…
Catherine Day
European Commission
Danuta Hübner
European Parliament…
Sabine Weyand
European Comission
Sir Tim Barrow
UK Government
Frans Timmermans
European Comission
Donald Tusk
European Council
David Neuberger
Supreme Court of…
Martin Selmayr
European Comission
Christine Lagarde
International…
Sir Jeremy John Heywood
UK Government
Guy Verhofstadt
European Parliament
Michel Barnier
European Comission
Will Straw
Britain Stronger in…
Narendra Modi
Bhartiya Janata…
Shinzo Abe
Liberal Democratic…
Justin Trudeau
Liberal Party of…
Malcolm Turnbull
Liberal Party of…
Xi JinPing
Communist Party of…
Tim Farron
Liberal Democrats
Gisela Stuart
Labour Party
Liam Fox
Conservative Party
Tony Blair
Tony Blair Institute
Sophia
Hanson Robotics
Arlene Foster
Democratic Unionist…
Keir Starmer
Labour Party
Martin Schulz
Social Democratic…
Giani Pittella
Socialists and…
Manfred Weber
European People's…
Sadiq Khan
Labour Party
Emmanuel Macron
En Marche
David Davis
Conservative Party
Theresa May
Conservative Party
Nicola Sturgeon
Scottish National…
Daniel Hannan
Conservative Party
Michael Gove
Conservative Party
George Osborne
Conservative Party
Jeremy Corbyn
Labour Party
Jean-Claude Juncker
European Comission
David Cameron
UK Government
Angela Merkel
German Government
Michael Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Steve Katsaros
Nokero
Aliaume Thiam (Akon)
Akon Lighting Africa
Morgan Dowler
Love Me (And My…
Tom Woolf
EdAid
Dina Torkia
Dina Tokio
Jenk Oz
iCoolKid
Pope Francis
Catholic Church
Mir Liponi
Blockchain Lab
Roger Ver
Bitcoin.com
Anne-Marie Imafidon
Stemettes
Bill Gates
Bill & Melinda Gates…
Videos
Latest Tweets
Tweets by TwitterDev