Artist of the Week
Ai Wei-wei was born May 18, 1957 in Beijing, China. A lot of his work focused on the Chinese government, particularly Ai Wei-wei was a civil rights activist. Shortly after Ai Wei-wei was born, Ai Qing, his father, was arrested. The reason for his arrest was because he was accused of being a rightist, resulting in Ai and his family being exiled near the edge of the Gobi Desert. In 1981 Ai Wei-wei moved to New York attending Parsons School of Design and was engaged in the subculture of artists and bohemians. Ai main focus was on painting at first, then he focused on sculpting, inspired by French artist Marcel Duchamp and German artist Joseph Beuys. One significant achievement in Ai Wei-wei career was partaking in the design of the Birds Nest. The Birds Nest is the stadium in China where the 2008 Summer Olympics were held. Overall, most of his artwork encompassed the Chinese government and how they are always watching him due to his negative viewpoints.