Ai Weiwei is amongst the world’s most famous dissident artists. “My life has been always in the center of the political struggle,” he said.

In 1979, Weiwei’s first exhibit was taken down by the Chinese state police. Later, he was imprisoned and his passport confiscated.

Since regaining the right to travel, the artist has focused his work on human rights issues, most recently the world’s refugee crisis. On a recent trip to Lesbos, Greece he was shocked by the suffering he witnessed.

“We always think human rights is foundation of  our civilization.”

Though rooted in politics, Weiwei still sees art as something grander than simply political slogans; art is a way to touch the human soul.

WSJ. Magazine 2016 Innovator Awards

Curiosity, authenticity, and a deep commitment to the craft. These are some of the defining characteristics of the WSJ. Magazine 2016 Innovators–an outstanding group of individuals recognized for setting new ground in their fields. Seven trailblazing talents, all of whom are featured in the magazine’s November issue, were honored among more than 200 guests for their groundbreaking accomplishments in their respective disciplines on November 2nd at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Selected by WSJ. Magazine editors, the honorees were: Melinda Gates (Philanthropy); Ai Weiwei (Art); Tom Ford (Film); The Weeknd (Music); Daniel Humm and Will Guidara (Food)); Es Devlin (Design) and Snøhetta’s Craig Dykers and Kjetil Thorsen (Architecture).

For the second year in a row, MediaStorm has used its multidisciplinary approach to create films that shine a light on the legacies and innovations of each individual. These films showcase some of MediaStorm’s greatest strengths: an ability to develop a captivating story under tight constraints; combining beautiful cinematography and motion graphics to add unparalleled finesse; and working in close partnership with a client to get results.

These videos have been a critical part of WSJ’s strategy to drive it's audience to its site and to assert itself as the place of significance for the informed citizen.

In keeping with our mission to develop stories that matter, we are thrilled to play a role in recognizing the WSJ. Magazine 2016 Innovators.

Shorter versions of these films premiered at the WSJ. Magazine 2016 Innovator Awards on November 2nd at the Museum of Modern Art. The digital versions premiered on wsj.com and mediastorm.com on November 3 and have been a critical component of helping WSJ drive audeinces to its site.

With five global editions spanning 62 countries, WSJ. Magazine—which publishes 12 issues a year—is The Wall Street Journal's luxury-lifestyle publication dedicated to the power and passions of the Journal's readership.