Born and raised in China, Ai Weiwei is a contemporary artist and activist who comments on everything from the New York AIDS epidemic of the 80's to the political policies of China's government. One of his most known pieces is "Sunflower Seeds" of 2010 (seen above). Ai Weiwei and a team of specialists worked together to make millions of hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds. The use of porcelain directly relates to China, as it came straight out of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.). It is a social comment on the idea of mass production; ie. the "Made In China" production. Guests of the exhibit were invited to walk across the sunflower seeds until the porcelain dust started effecting visitors.
Ai Weiwei has been arrested and held by the Chinese government for several of his installations and comments. In 2011, he was arrested and held for an extended period of time with absolutely no charges made against him. Although he is not making direct changes to society or social justice, he is helping to bring awareness to social injustices as he sees them.
To check out more of Ai Weiwei's work and learn more about his activism, click below: