The "Bird's Nest Stadium" Chinese designer and unconventional artist, Ai Weiwei, has had trouble with the authorities in his native country, China. However, he is such a celebrity during his exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Great Britain on Sep. 15, Tuesday.

According to Reuters, Ai was not able to leave his country for four years because his passport was confiscated by the authorities in 2011 when he prepared to fly out of China. He had 81 days detention and was released though with a form of a house arrest that followed.

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He worked with the British's Royal Academy staff on the retrospective through internet and phone and sometimes via visits by curators to his Beijing home. When at last his passport was returned in July, he was able to visit Berlin, Germany, where his son and partner live, and then to London so he could put the finishing touches to the exhibition.

The artist showcased his works of security surveillance cameras, a massive rolled-out map of China that was made up of wood salvaged from destroyed temples, a pushchair and giant blades of grass that were carved out of marble, and a repeated motif of a forearm and hand that showed a universal rude gesture of a middle finger. To mention another, he also included a secret prison of the Chinese government where he was being held prisoner with himself sitting on a chair inside it with officials questioning him-a video clip of it can be seen on Youtube.

His arts clearly stated his activism against the Chinese government, and he also uses the art to challenge authority.

The dissident artist is better known for his work on Beijing's Olympics stadium built in 2008. It was built starting 2003 for that sole purpose when China became the country host of that event. The stadium cost $428 million U.S. dollars, and it became a worldwide sensation in the opening of 2008 Olympics.

TagsBird's Nest stadium artist Ai Weiwei, designer of Bird's Nest in Beijing, security surveillance cameras, Royal Academy of Arts London, house arrest