Wei Wei was planning a similar piece for the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne this year, but LEGO is apparently less than thrilled by being associated with the highly-political artist.
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There, a steady feed of the plastic blocks was poured into the pristine interior via the sunroof and windows following a callout from Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei after the Danish toymaker refused a bulk order of blocks for an installation at the gallery as part of the Andy Warhol / Ai Weiwei exhibition. But the artist says his order was knocked back based on the installation’s “political” nature.
“As a commercial entity, LEGO produces and sells toys, movies and amusement parks attracting children across the globe”, Ai wrote.
LEGO has backed away from politically sensitive situations in the past. On Twitter, the company has been responding to a flood of angry tweets: “Anyone is welcome to LEGO bricks via normal sales channels for their projects, we see thousands of projects daily… we just can’t offer direct bulk purchases to facilitate such projects”.
The statement accompanied an image of Lego bricks thrown into a toilet signed with the phrase “R.Mutt”, a throwback to the famous artwork “Fountain” exhibited by French Dada artist, Marcel Duchamp.
But now, Ai Weiwei has found a much more useful place to throw his toys.
On October 26, Ai posted on Instagram: “In response to Lego’s refusal and the overwhelming public response, Ai Weiwei has now chose to make a new work to defend freedom of speech and ‘political art.’ Ai Weiwei Studio will announce the project description and Lego collection points in different cities”. It was to be shown in December at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.
“Ai Weiwei would like to rent, borrow or buy second-hand a BMW 5S Series sedan, of which the colour can vary, as a Lego container”, Mr Ai posted early on Tuesday morning.
Asked if he’d get rid of the rest of his collection in protest, he demurred: “I love it too much”, he said of Lego, loath to criticise its decision. People have shown their generosity, creative spirit and enthusiasm to become engaged in this project, and we are pleased to be the first global collection point.
More BMWs are set to pop up across the world, including Berlin, Brooklyn and London.
Since Ai’s plan was thwarted, he has come up with a new one – one centered on “political art”, he said, with help from fans and fellow artists who have promised LEGO donations.
In a statement emailed to TakePart, Lego Group spokesperson Amanda Santoro said the company does not comment on private exchanges with its customers, partners, consumers, or stakeholders, but that it does “acknowledge that Lego bricks are used globally by millions of fans…as a creative medium to express their imagination”, including projects that are not officially endorsed by the Lego Group.
Lego confirmed that the order was rejected on political grounds, and that the principle is “not new”, in an email to the Guardian.
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Updated at 3:30 p.m. AEST: Included comment from Lego.
