Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist, photographer, architect, activist and documentary filmmaker renowned for both his innovative and stunning art installations and his bold social and political criticisms of the Chinese government. In 2010, he was famously detained by authorities in Beijing while attempting to board a plane and was held for 81 days, nearly incommunicado and interrogated repeatedly while supporters petitioned for his release. He successfully merges political activism with online media and is remarkable for his stubborn courage to get his messages out to the world.