Ai Weiwei

In 2011, police detained Ai Weiwei for 81 days. Now, he's released a song that's turned the experience into a heavy metal protest song, along with a dystopian nightmare video. The lyrics are explicit and angry. Ai says his music is for the many political prisoners who remain jailed.

A Washington showcase of work by the Chinese dissident artist reveals his preoccupation with the tragic 2008 Sichuan earthquake: To create one of the pieces, Ai ran afoul of Chinese authorities, asking for help collecting the names of children who died when their schools collapsed.

The outspoken artist, who has spent time in prison, tells WBUR that state media never report the truth: "It's like bad air all the time." Imprisonment, he says, was like "little beans dropped on the floor in some corner and people just forget about you. It's a very terrifying situation."

Alison Klayman's documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry shows the famous Chinese artist's struggle against authorities. Klayman spoke to NPR's Robert Siegel about her film as well as Ai's artwork and politics.

The artist said the latest investigation is yet another attempt by the Chinese government to silence him.

His supporters say it's another attempt to silence Ai. He was jailed for nearly three months earlier this year. Ai says he can pay the bill, but wants to see proof that the taxes really are owed.

The magazine said the dissident Chinese artist's work reminds the world that "freedom of expression is a basic right." Ai is only the second artist to top the list.

Defying the terms of his release, the country's most famous social critic says Beijing is "a constant nightmare."

The world famous artist had been detained since April. He's known for his efforts to expose social injustice. The official news agency claims he has confessed to avoiding taxes.

The face of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been spray-painted across Hong Kong in the month since he was detained. Many residents like the graffiti's aesthetic and message, but the campaign could lead to jail time for the graffiti artist. That has raised fears about the erosion of Hong Kong's freedoms.