Born August 28, 1957 is a Chinese contemporary artist and activist. He collaborated with Swiss architects for the 2008 Olympics. As a political activist he has been highly and openly critical with the Chinese government on democracy and human rights. He has investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan school corruption scandal with the collapse. He's done a lot of work that is controversial. Because of this he was actually imprisoned for 81 days by Chinese government. The situation was so severe they actually told him he would get 10 years minimum and he would 'never get out'. He was never beaten and fed well but he was under constant supervision, he created a piece of art work showing what it was like when he was in prison. It shows the constant supervision and no privacy he had during his time there. He reduced the scale for this sculpture drastically and I think he did that so as to make the whole sculpture seem more child like and like a game rather than real life.
The sunflower seeds made from porcelain, 'made in china' is my favourite work he's done. I think what you see is not what you see with this piece, the sculptural installation is made up of millions of sunflower seeds and although they look extremely realistic they are made out of porcelain. They were all hand crafted by hundreds of skilled artisans. The precious nature of the material makes a powerful statement on human condition. Making the seeds from porcelain speaks volumes, using such a precious material rather than using clay which is the equivalent to mud you can link that to the society. Ai Weiwei has long challenged this reverence and high financial values attached to the material. Although he does this his works still show the exact same high standards in their perfect finish. To me, the sunflowers are the population, so the seeds on the floor and being 'walked over' are much like the population in that society.
"From a very young age I started to sense that an individual has to set an example in society" Ai said. "Your own acts and behaviour tell the world who you are and at the same time what kind of society you think it should be". As material for his art, he draws on society and politics of contemporary China as well as cultural artefacts such as the ancient vases etc. The historical and cultural significance of the materials and techniques Ai Weiwei uses are an essential element of almost all of his sculptures.
"You can't force someone to feel the same way but you are responsible to speak your mind".
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