Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei has been chosen as the artistic personality of the year

Beijing - The renowned British magazine Art Review has chosen Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei as the most influential artist of the year. This outspoken critic of the Chinese communist government, who was recently released from prison, has made a mark in the art world with his installation of a hundred million porcelain sunflower seeds at the prestigious Tate Modern gallery in London and also as a co-designer of the Olympic Stadium (Bird's Nest) in Beijing.
     The Chinese government criticized the award to Ai Weiwei, stating that the "politically biased" selection contradicts the principles of the magazine. "China has plenty of sufficiently capable artists. We believe that a choice based purely on a political, biased perspective is not in line with the magazine's intentions," stated Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin.
     The Chinese authorities arrested Ai Weiwei at Beijing's airport in April during a crackdown on government critics when he was about to leave China. His detention at a secret location sparked disapproval and protests around the world. He was released on bail at the end of June after 81 days in prison, but for a year he is not allowed to give interviews to journalists, meet with foreigners, use the internet, or communicate with human rights advocates. He is still under investigation for suspected tax evasion.
     According to an article in the November issue of Art Review, Ai's imprisonment and the outraged reaction of the international community only increased public desire to become acquainted with his work.
     Recently, the residents of London had the opportunity to see Ai's work, which consisted of 150 tons of porcelain sunflower seeds hand-made by 1,600 craftsmen over two years in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen, exhibited at the famous Tate Modern gallery until May of this year.
     Ai, who does not fully comply with the Chinese government's regulations and has resumed his communication on Twitter, stated that he is pleased with the magazine's recognition and considers it a support for his fight for freedom of expression.
     In the ranking of the hundred most influential artists of this year, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Julia Peyton-Jones, who run the Serpentine Gallery in London, took second place, while Glenn Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, finished third.