Architect, photographer, curator and blogger, Ai Weiwei is China's most famous and politically outspoken contemporary artist. As Ai Weiwei's latest work is unveiled in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern, Alan Yentob reveals how this most courageous and determined of artists continues to fight for artistic freedom of expression while living under the restrictive shadows of authoritarian rule.
This is one arrest the authorities might live to regret. Its hypocritical that just a few years ago the government was funding Ai’s art, but by last year goons were beating him up and demolishing his brand new art studio in Shanghai. It is likely that arresting him will only increase his appeal and help add to some of the mystique he has cultivated. Whether he’s let go or kept under wraps, either way, Ai Wei Wei won’t be forgotten anytime soon.