Ai Wei-wei was born in Beijing, China. He is an artist and activist who has created work in nearly every medium possible. His provocative and subversive dimension of his art in that it opposes much of the Chinese government’s initiatives, has repressed him from entirely influencing Chinese culture, as well as blocked him from the Chinese internet searches. Ai Wei Wei is a hero to us because he refuses to conform, and always looks beyond. He forces us to challenge our own perspectives. In his photographic series, A Study of Perspective, he shows his left arm extended forward with the middle finger raised to landscapes and backdrops from around the world. The series demands that viewers challenge their own unquestioning acceptance and adherence toward governments, tradition, or any institution. His images show a very poetic use of irony.
In the mid-2010s Ai turned his attention to the global refugee crisis with several projects, including a temporary installation of 14,000 life vests around the columns of the Konzerthaus Berlin concert hall. The vests were collected by Ai on the Greek island of Lesbos, where he and his studio stayed for several months during the height of the Syrian Civil War, when hundreds of asylum seekers arrived each day on their way to Europe after braving a perilous sea journey from Turkey. The installation was reportedly intended not only to call attention to the crisis but also to serve as a tribute to the individuals who perished during the passage.
Ai Weiwei: installation at the Konzerthaus BerlinInstallation of 14,000 life vests by Ai Weiwei at the Konzerthaus Berlin concert hall, 2016.Oliver Lang/Konzerthaus Berlin.
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