Why was Ai Weiwei imprisoned by the Chinese government?
He investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan schools corruption scandal following the collapse of “tofu-dreg schools” in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. In 2011, Ai Weiwei was arrested at Beijing Capital International Airport on 3 April, for “economic crimes”.
Is Ai Weiwei in China?
Biography. Ai Weiwei (Chinese: 艾未未; pinyin: Ài Wèiwèi, English pronunciation: (help·info); born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father’s exile.
Is Ai Weiwei exiled from China?
Even before his fame landed him the design job, Ai had been an unrelenting critic of the Chinese Communist Party. He was jailed in 2011 in China for unspecified crimes and is now an outspoken dissident who lives in exile in Portugal.
What is Ai Weiwei best known for?
Known for his installation art, eclectic oeuvre and political activism, Ai Weiwei is one of the most influential figures in the world of contemporary art. Read on to discover more about this legendary artist. Ai Weiwei ranks among the most prominent and controversial figures in the world of contemporary art.
What happened to Ai Weiwei?
Even before his fame landed him the design job working with a Swiss architectural firm, Ai had been an unrelenting critic of the Chinese Communist Party. He was jailed in 2011 in China for unspecified crimes and now lives in exile in Portugal.
How long was Ai Weiwei in jail?
81 Days
Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei Describes His 81 Days in Prison—And the Extreme Surveillance, Censorship, and “Soft Detention” He’s Endured Since.
What happened to Ai Wei Wei?
Does Ai Weiwei have a wife?
Lu QingAi Weiwei / Wife
How did Ai Weiwei leave China?
In 2015, Chinese authorities returned Ai’s passport, and he moved to Berlin shortly afterwards, living in self-imposed exile. Ai has since turned his attention to the plight of global refugees, which is the topic of his latest documentary, Human Flow.
What controversial art did Ai Weiwei create?
Ai—a self-taught architect—was outraged to discover that the children’s deaths could have been avoided with better structures. He wanted the government to take responsibility. Ai collected the broken steel bars from the earthquake site and began creating a memorial artwork.
Is Ai Weiwei still in jail?
Two months before his arrest in 2011, Ai’s Shanghai studio was bulldozed. He then spent eighty-one days in jail before authorities acceded to global protests and released him. When his passport was reinstated in 2015, Ai fled China and has lived abroad ever since.
Where does Ai Wei Wei live now?
Portugal
Even before his fame landed him the design job working with a Swiss architectural firm, Ai had been an unrelenting critic of the Chinese Communist Party. He was jailed in 2011 in China for unspecified crimes and now lives in exile in Portugal.
Why is Ai Weiwei important to China?
Ai Weiwei emerged as a vital instigator in Chinese cultural development, an architect of Chinese modernism, and one of the nation’s most vocal political commentators. Ai Weiwei encapsulates political conviction and his personal poetry in his many sculptures, photographs and public works.
Did Ai Weiwei receive offers to join China’s PCC conference?
South China Morning Post reports that Ai received at least two visits from the police, the last being on 31 March – three days before his detention – apparently with offers of membership to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
What did the Chinese government do to Weiwei?
The Chinese government did this as punishment for WeiWei’s outspoken criticism of the Chinese Government. (2010) Sculptures of a large amount of crabs. (2011) Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads are sculptures of zodiac animals inspired by the water clock-fountain at the Old Summer Palace.
What happened to Ai Weiwei’s studio?
Authorities in China have demolished the Beijing studio of contemporary artist Ai Weiwei, a dissident and longtime critic of the Chinese government. Authorities in China have demolished the Beijing studio of contemporary artist Ai Weiwei, a dissident and longtime critic of the Chinese government. Updated at 8:40 a.m.