Ai Weiwei
Biography
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese contemporary artist and activist. Ai grew up in the far north-west of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly critical of the Chinese Government's stance on democracy and human rights. He investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan schools corruption scandal following the collapse of schools in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. In 2011, Ai Weiwei was arrested at Beijing Capital International Airport on 3 April, for allegedly economic crimes. He was detained for 81 days without charge. 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. In doing this, he makes use of Chinese art forms to display the Chinese political and social issues. After being allowed to leave China in 2015, he has lived in Berlin, Germany, and, since 2019, in Cambridge, UK, with his family, working and traveling internationally.
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (46)
Ai Weiwei's Turandot
as Self
2025
Animality
Director (Directing)
2025
The Trainer
as Ai Weiwei
2024
Free to Create - Artists in Exile
as Himself
2024
Clockwork Orange: The Prophecy
as Himself
2023
Rohingya
Director (Directing)
2022
Eric Ravilious: Drawn to War
2022
Ithaka
as Self
2022
Opera di Roma: Turandot
Director (Directing)
2022
Cockroach
Director (Directing)
2020
CoroNation
Producer (Production)
2020
Vivos
Director (Directing)
2020
Vincent van Gogh Superstar
as Self
2019
Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies
2019
Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly
as Self
2019
The Rest
2019
Ximei
Executive Producer (Production)
2019
Why Are We Creative?
as Self
2018
Shouting Out
Director (Directing)
2018
Ai Weiwei en Buenos Aires
as Himself
2018
Human Flow
Producer (Production)
2017
The Chinese Lives of Uli Sigg
2017
Ai Weiwei Drifting
as Self
2017
江天勇律师
Director (Directing)
2017
Heaven and Earth
Producer (Production)
2016
Fukushima Art Project
Director (Directing)
2015
Straight
Director (Directing)
2015
Flowers of Taipei: Taiwan New Cinema
as Self
2014
Ai Weiwei - Evidence
as Himself
2014
The Sand Storm
2014
You Know What I Mean
Director (Directing)
2014
Ai Weiwei's Appeal ¥15,220,910.50
as Self
2014
Play of the Play
Director (Directing)
2014
Stay Home
Director (Directing)
2013
Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case
2013
Wenchuan Rebar
Director (Directing)
2013
Ping'an Yueqing
Producer (Production)
2013
Remembrance
Director (Directing)
2012
4851
Director (Directing)
2012
Discard the Old Path of Closed Doors and Rigidity and Reject Evil Attempts to Change the Party's Banner
Director (Directing)
2012
The Mala Desert
Director (Directing)
2012
The Crab House
Director (Directing)
2012
KUN 13: Criticizing Ai Weiwei and Wu Haohao
as Himself
2012
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
as Self - Artist
2012
So Sorry
Director (Directing)
2012
Ordos 100
Director (Directing)
2012
