LEGO Won't Provide Bricks for Ai Weiwei's "Political Works," But His Fans Will

Everything is not awesome when it comes to subversive reappropriation of colored plastic bricks to protest authoritarianism.

Chinese dissident and internationally renowned artist Ai Weiwei was refused a bulk shipment of LEGOs by the Danish toy company last month. According to a post on Ai's Instagram account, LEGO "cannot approve the use of LEGOs for political works." On the same post, Ai noted that last week the opening of a new Legoland park in Shanghai was announced.

Ai, who was once quoted as saying, "Everything is art. Everything is politics," spoke at a press conference in Berlin where he denounced LEGO's move as "an act of censorship and discrimination."

Instagram/AIWW

LEGO's policy on the use of its iconic colored building blocks is inconsistent to say the least. Earlier this year, the company rejected the creation of a set of figures depicting the four female U.S. Supreme Court judges for being too political, but in 2009, Legoland California meticulously re-created the scene of President Obama's inauguration. 

To be sure, LEGO is a private company free to make its own policies on how it distributes discounted bulk purchases. In an email to the Wall Street Journal, a company spokesman wrote:

Any individual person can naturally purchase or get access to LEGO bricks in other ways to create their LEGO projects if they desire to do so, but as a company, we choose to refrain from engaging in these activities – through for example bulk purchase.

Since news of LEGO's decision broke, Ai has been deluged with offers of LEGO donations from private citizens, which he has vowed to find a way to accept. Speaking in Berlin, he said, "The internet is like a modern church. You go and complain to a priest and everybody in the community can share your problems."

Update: The Guardian reports that a red BMW parked outside Ai's Beijing studio is serving as the first "dropoff location" for LEGO donations. Supporters are dropping them through a slightly opened sunroof and into the car. 

Reason TV reported on Ai Weiwei's struggle against Chinese authoritarianism in 2013:

Comments

[Mongo]

A local dude who was the founder of the anarcho-punk zine Profane Existence sells LEGO-based military kits. He sez that he has frequent talks with the company's lawyers.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...but in 2009, Legoland California meticulously re-created the scene of President Obama's inauguration.

That was spiritual, not political.

[Spyrius Droid]

Lego doesn't own the parks, but has just a 30% share in them. 70% is owned by another company. Who knows what Lego can control in the parks.

[John]

This is how corporatism works. The government leans on or works with corporations to control and oppress the public.

[sarcasmic]

National Socialists did the same thing.

[Free Society]

The power disparity between the two organizations is so great that "leans on" is pretty much the only way to describe the catalyst for that partnership. The US government bureaucracy doesn't even need the cover of law to get these companies to bend to their will. They say something like "give me the back door to your encryption protocols X, Y or Z or you may find yourself in an audit or worse"

[Azathoth!!]

It is instructive to note which side Scandinavian socialists came down on.

[Lee G]

Lego forgot what made it special a long time ago. They suck.

[John]

In fairness, I don't think their socialism is driving this. It is just the desire to make money. They selling legos to Chinese kids and the Chinese government has made it clear what is required to do that.

[mtrueman]

" the Chinese government has made it clear what is required to do that."

I'm certain this is incorrect. The Chinese government has made nothing clear and they don't have to. In a well run democracy, corporations police themselves, just as we see in the story here: they cannot approve of the use of Lego in political works.

[RBS]

But where does Playmobil stand in all this?

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

Damn it people, it's LEGO and LEGO bricks. Or, at worst, LEGOs.

[Lee G]

Whatever, they suck.

[Hugh Akston]

How much is the company paying you to maintain their branding for them?

[Rufus J. Fisk]

Legos used to be awesome when it was just parts that were not tied to a brand, ala Star Wars or something. It is literally a few parts and its done. Can't find just regular blocks anymore!

[Krombopulos Carl]

If you can't find regular bricks, you're not looking. You can buy a tub of plain bricks on Amazon or at any Target.

[pan fried wylie]

bricks a la carte

[Juice]

Isn't that the guy who destroyed an ancient vase for no reason? Fuck that self-important hack.

[mtrueman]

Han dynasty. Hardly ancient.

[Free Society]

Han dynasty. Hardly ancient.

A dynasty that took hold about 2,200 years ago is rightly called ancient. And regardless of the adjective you prefer it seems astoundingly wasteful and arrogant, on level with that of ISIS's or the Taliban's destruction of artifacts that are thousands of years old.

[mtrueman]

"it seems astoundingly wasteful"

You got something against that, Pilgrim?

[Hugh Akston]

And uh he never does anything for "no reason".

[The Heresiarch]

I have to disagree that everything is art and everything is political. Very few things are art, and very few things are political. Saying that everything is art leads to things like stuffed sharks and urinals in galleries. Saying that everything is political (a la "the personal is political") leads to the state regulating or outlawing petty behavior (e.g., California).

[Mongo]

The stuffed shark and urinals you speak of were great pieces of art.

[The Heresiarch]

To you, perhaps. To me, they were just a stuffed shark and urinal (i.e., not art at all, much less great art).

[Rhywun]

Also from the Guardian:

"Give Ai Weiwei your Lego bricks so he can show what corporate politics looks like."

*facepalm*

I guess the fight against Chinese authoritarianism is complete.