Chinese dissident artist and activist Ai Weiwei on Wednesday praised Italy for taking in hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees a year without barring them from the country.
"Italy has a powerful voice on migrants, it is well disposed towards them and has never turned them back, " Ai told journalists in Florence.
He was holding a press-conference ahead of his exhibition 'Libero' which opens in the central Italian art city on Friday at Palazzo Strozzi, Florence's largest exhibition space.
"Italy's stance is distinct and is different from other countries. Its humanitarian position is a source of great pride to me," Ai said.
"I too was a refugee when I roamed through the Gobi desert with my father," he stated.
Ai was referring to renowned poet Ai Qing's decades of exile in northern China with his family before communist officials allowed him to return to Beijing in 1976 after the Cultural Revolution.
Ai, who now regards himself as a political refugee in Germany, has taken a close interest in the plight of migrants since visiting the Greek island of Lesbos in December 2015.
Twenty-two inflatable orange Italian navy lifeboats used to rescue migrants arranged on Palazzo Strozzi's facade is one of a series of major new works by Ai that will be on display at the renaissance gallery.
Exhibits include key installations, sculptures and objects, as well as videos and photography series produced throughout Ai's career.
