Ai Weiwei 'most powerful artist'

Ai Weiwei 'most powerful artist' NEWS

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Chinese artist and political activist, Ai Weiwei, has been nominated in a ArtReview magazine poll as the most powerful person in the art world.

Unsurprisingly, China has criticised the selection, believing Weiwei's win was based on 'political bias'.

Mr Ai, who has had a difficult year after being detained for more than 80 days from June to August by Chinese authorities, explained to the BBC News that he does 'not feel powerful at all'.

Mr Ai was supposedly detained by Chinese authorities on charges of tax fraud, however there is strong evidence to suggest it was for his political activities.

Since his release, he leads a 'strongly restricted' life in terms of freedom of speech and will. Mr Ai was released with one of the conditions being that he is not allowed to be interviewed by the press or use the internet.

'...this kind of conversation today I am doing is a violation. I think it may bring me very big trouble.' he told BBC News

'I don't have this concept to separate my art from my daily life. I think they are one thing to me. They are always one.

'How do you find a way to express yourself and how to communicate with others? Art is how we put our lives to deal with our living conditions.'

ArtReview magazine believe Weiwei was chosen for the title as his 'activities have allowed artists to move away from the idea that they work within a privileged zone limited by the walls of a gallery or museum.'

'It's expanding the possibilities of what you can do with art, and as an artist how you can use your voice,' the statement added.

Ai Weiwei is one of China's most famous artists, internationally renowned for co-designing Beijing's Olympic Stadium, as well as filling Tate Modern's Turbine Hall full of 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds in 2010.

Second place in this year's poll went to London's Serpentine Gallery directors, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Julia Peyton-Jones.