( CNN ) -- Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei may not be allowed to leave his native China , but his art is free to travel the globe , and some of it is now on display in Washington . `` Ai Weiwei : According to What ? '' marks the first North American exhibition of Ai 's work . His art sprawls around an entire floor in the Smithsonian Institution 's Hirshhorn Museum . The outspoken artist , blogger , filmmaker and architect is perhaps best known for helping design the famous `` Bird 's Nest '' Olympic stadium for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing . Some of the artwork on display includes photos taken of the stadium while under construction . Ai later said he regretted his work on it because instead of the venue becoming a place for all , it became a place for the elite . Ai was on his way to Hong Kong in April 2011 when he was taken into custody at Beijing 's international airport and detained for 81 days amid a government crackdown on political activists . His studio in Beijing was raided , and his wife and several employees were taken into custody for questioning . Seven weeks after Ai was taken into custody , state news agency Xinhua reported that Beijing police said his company evaded a `` huge amount of taxes '' and `` intentionally destroyed accounting documents . '' Ai Weiwei loses tax evasion appeal . `` My detention was an extreme condition for any human to endure . Many , including my family and the people who know me and care about the incident , were frustrated by the lack of an explanation or reason , '' Ai said in a statement to the museum . `` Going through these events allowed me to rethink my art and the activities necessary for an artist , '' he said . Ai was released on one year 's probation in June 2011 , with heavy restrictions imposed on his movements . The Chinese government still holds his passport . Ai 's criticism of the Chinese government gained attention following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake that left nearly 90,000 people dead or missing . Many of the victims were students who died when their poorly constructed schools collapsed on them . Ai has compiled a list of more than 5,000 of those students . Part of the list is on display at the museum , accompanied by audio of people reading the names of the students . Ai Weiwei will not be silenced . Ai also has a work called `` Snake Ceiling '' on display , made of hundreds of backpacks latched together in the shape of a snake . These are meant to represent children 's backpacks left behind after the earthquake . Ai said he saw numerous piles of backpacks outside schools when he traveled to Sichuan following the disaster . Some of the works take a personal tone , with pictures of Ai at a hospital following surgery to relieve pressure on his brain following what he said was from a beating by Chinese police . A medical scan shows the damage caused to his skull and brain . The exhibit will be on display at the Hirshhorn through February before it moves on to other venues in the United States and Canada . And having this work on the doorstep of policy-makers certainly is n't lost on museum officials . `` Ai Weiwei 's art and his activism resonate far beyond the art world and encourage an expanded dialogue on crucial social , cultural , and political issues of the day , '' said Hirshhorn Museum Director Richard Koshalek in a catalogue detailing the exhibit . Ai Weiwei paints bleak picture of his and China 's future . Despite the personal toll his work has taken on him , Ai said the struggle has been worth it . `` The struggle is worthwhile if it provides new ways to communicate with people and society , '' Ai said . CNN 's Alexis Lai contributed to this report .
Dissident artist Ai Wei 's work is now in Washington at the Hirshhorn Museum . Ai 's most famous work is the ` ` Bird 's Nest '' stadium from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing . ` ` Ai Weiwei 's art and his activism resonate far beyond the art world , '' Chinese officials say .