The AP Interview: Exiled artist Ai Weiwei on Beijing Games

By STEPHEN WADE
AP Sports Writer

The Chinese artist Ai Weiwei says the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing will allow China to show the world “a fake smile,” just as it did for the 2008 Summer Games. He spoke to The Associated Press in an interview over email. When he was tapped to help design Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium for the 2008 Olympics, Ai hoped the Games and the arena’s instantly recognizable weave of curving steel beams would symbolize China’s new openness. He was disappointed. The Chinese dissident is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest living artists. He lives in exile in Portugal. The Bird’s Nest hosts the opening ceremony on Feb. 4.