The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne has set up a Lego collection point for Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei after he posted on Instagram that the toy firm had officially denied him a bulk order of their signature blocks.
Lego said it was against company policy to support political works.
“We have received many offers of donations of Lego in the past days,” NGV director Tony Ellwood said in a statement. “People have shown their generosity, creative spirit and enthusiasm to become engaged in this project, and we are pleased to be the first international collection point.”
As of Wednesday, passers-by could donate to Ai’s art project by pouring their Lego blocks into the sunroof of a car parked in the sculpture garden of the gallery. The NGV decided to set up the donation point after #LegosForWeiwei began trending on Twitter, with fans openly offering their own Lego collections so the artist could complete his new installation.
“Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei,” an exhibition that will feature both Ai and Andy Warhol’s works, is set to open at the NGV on Dec. 11.
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