Over a lifetime spanning illustration, photography, instalation and sculpture Ai Wei Wei has grown to be one of the most important political artists of our time.

The profoundly relevant Warhol/Wei Wei exhibition pits the work of the “poor Chinese kid” alongside Warhol, and the sometimes unconscious influence of the Pittsburg-born artist on Wei Wei is facinating. Demonstrating the significant impact of his time as a student in New York, the juxtaposition is a fantastic way to view the Chinese artist’s profound body of work.

It’s a while since I’ve felt the palpable social impact and critical role of art in reflecting social change, recent political history and the emergence of our modern world community. This exhibition, which I saw at the National Gallery of Victoria in February - now showing at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburg, is masterfully curated to highlight Warhol’s pop art oeuvre influence against the critical significance of Wei Wei. The revelation is that, even up unto his recent periods in Europe documenting the refugee crisis, and the equally profound Letgo Room honoring Australian human rights activists and created especially for the NGV exhibition this year (see below), Wei Wei continues to be one of the most significant artists of our time.