Everything may be awesome for the characters in 2014’s The Lego Movie, but out here in the real world, things are decidedly more complicated. For proof, look no further than Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, whose bulk order of Lego blocks was recently rejected by the Danish toy company on the grounds, claims Ai, that they cannot support “political works.”
As he explains on his Instagram, Ai had planned to use the blocks for an upcoming art exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, after having used Legos for a previous exhibit at Alcatraz, in which he created portraits of notable dissidents out of the toy bricks. In a later post, depicting a toilet bowl full of Legos, he expanded:
Speaking with CNN, Lego spokesperson Roar Rude Trangbaek explained that company policy is such that “we refrain — on a global level — from actively engaging in or endorsing the use of Lego bricks in projects or contexts of a political agenda.” He goes on to explain that Lego will turn down “donations or support for projects — such as the possibility of purchasing Lego bricks in very large quantities, which is not possible through normal sales channels — where we are made aware that there is a political context.” Through his art and activism, Ai Weiwei has become known as one of the fiercest — and most creative — critics of the Chinese government, and points to plans for an upcoming Legoland amusement park to be built in Shanghai as proof of the toy company’s double standard.
In response to Lego’s actions, Ai Weiwei’s fans have flooded the artist with donations of their own Lego bricks, as well as support online, using the hashtag #LegosForWeiwei. For his part, Ai has set up a mailing address to which fans can send him their bricks:
In response to Lego’s rejection, Ai has announced plans for “a new work to defend freedom of speech and ‘political art’” with additional brick collection points to be established in different cities around the world.
So, while this is probably not what Lego had in mind when they turned down Ai’s initial request, it seems that, for the artist, everything may end up being awesome after all.
