Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will set up collection points to receive Lego block donations, he said Monday, after he set off a social media storm by accusing the Danish company of refusing a bulk order on political grounds.
The children's toy became embroiled in controversy when Ai said its manufacturer had refused to supply him directly as it "cannot approve the use of Legos for political works".
Ai is China's most prominent contemporary artist, who helped design the Bird's Nest stadium for the Beijing Olympics and his work has been exhibited worldwide, but he has also run afoul of Communist authorities.
He used the bricks to create portraits of political activists from around the world for an exhibition at Alcatraz prison in the US last year, and intended to create a Lego artwork for a show in Australia. Fans offered online to give him their Lego blocks, and a post on his Instagram account said Monday: "Ai Weiwei has now decided 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." One collection point, a car parked outside his studio in Beijing, was shown with some bricks on the sunroof. His Instagram account also shows a picture of Lego bricks in a toilet bowl with the caption "Everything is awesome" -- the theme song of the blockbuster Lego movie.
One supporter posting on Twitter told the manufacturer: "Your execs need to go watch the @TheLEGOMovie and think about what they've done." Another said: "I'm picturing a Lego sculpture of a giant Lego character shooting itself in the foot."
