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Ai Weiwei
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been creating artwork that addresses freedom of speech and human rights for over 40 years. Recently the artist has received widespread press coverage for his ongoing campaign to raise awareness of the Syrian refugee crisis, even setting up a studio on the Greek island of Lesbos to highlight the plight of refugees.
The artist made news on Dezeen this year however when Danish toy brand Lego refused to supply its colourful bricks to him for fear of its brand being used to promote "projects or contexts of a political agenda".
Ai reacted by posting a picture to his Instagram account showing a toilet bowl filled with Lego bricks.
Our movie about the artist's 2012 Serpentine Gallery pavilion created in collaboration with Herzog & de Meuron also crept into one of the top spots, while this year's popular projects by the artist included his first jewellery collection and a series of mythological characters created for Parisian department store Le Bon Marché.
Top posts:
1. Ai Weiwei appeals to public after Lego refuses to provide bricks for "political" work
2. Ai Weiwei's first jewellery collection is cut from a rod of gold rebar
3. Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei's Serpentine Gallery Pavilion paid homage to its predecessors
4. Ai Weiwei installs monstrous sculptures at Le Bon Marché to "speak to our inner child"
5. "Toys have become small plastic tablets of moral code that we hand down to the next generation"