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Ai Weiwei wants to raise awareness about refugee crisis

A woman adjusts blankets where she is temporarily staying at central Victoria square in Athens, on Friday, Jan 1, 2016. More than a million people reached Europe in 2015 in the continent's largest refugee influx since the end of World War II. Nearly 3,800 people are estimated to have drowned in the Mediterranean last year, making the journey to Greece or Italy in unseaworthy vessels packed far beyond capacity. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) A woman adjusts blankets where she is temporarily staying at central Victoria square in Athens, on Friday, Jan 1, 2016. More than a million people reached Europe in 2015 in the continent's largest refugee influx since the end of World War II. Nearly 3,800 people are estimated to have drowned in the Mediterranean last year, making the journey to Greece or Italy in unseaworthy vessels packed far beyond capacity. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)

By Associated Press January 1, 2016 1 min read

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Chinese artist Ai Weiwei wants to raise consciousness about the plight of refugees through his, and his students’, art.

Ai, who has made his name as much through his clashes with Chinese authorities as through his art, has set up a studio on the Greek island of Lesbos, the main point of entry for hundreds of thousands of refugees over the past year. The studio will produce several projects with themes related to the refugee crisis from him and his students, Ai told reporters.

Ai told The Associated Press he expects to visit Lesbos several times over the next year, or even beyond, if the crisis persists beyond 2016. He says about six to 10 artists will be working at the studio.