Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese conceptual artist and activist. He calls attention to human rights violations in his art while also expanding the definition of art to include forms of social engagement. He uses conceptual and minimalist traditions to create his art. In one of his pieces he scattered 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds. They were hand made and painted by 1,600 Chinese artists to represent how mass consumption of foreign made goods affects lives of other across the globe, as well as representing the loss of individuality. Ai was very open in his criticism of the Chinese government.