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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsLego Refuses To Send Its Toy Bricks To Ai Weiwei, Artist Says
Source: Huffington Post
He calls it "an act of censorship and discrimination."
Lego has refused to send Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei a bulk order of its toy bricks, the artist claims, because it cannot approve the use of Legos for political works.
Ai Weiwei, a vocal opponent of the Chinese government's iron-fisted censorship, wrote on Instagram Friday that he had planned to use the Legos in a piece on free speech called "Andy Warhol / Ai Weiwei" for display later this year in Australia's National Gallery of Victoria, which placed the Lego order for him.
Just weeks after Lego denied his order in September, he noted, the Danish toy company announced plans to open a new Legoland theme park in Shanghai.
The artist quickly denounced Lego for censoring political work.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/ai-weiwei-lego_562cfc9ee4b0443bb5643dd1?section=australia&adsSiteOverride=au
msongs
(67,405 posts)the meaning of the word censorship lol
KT2000
(20,577 posts)He was denied a bulk order by Lego because it was to be used in a political work. China would likely deny the Lego company from doing business in China if they fill his order. That is censorship by coercion.
I admire him - he has stood up to power in China. Not many people do that and survive.
Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)His father was a poet and his entire family was sent to a labor camp during the "Cultural Revolution" and stayed there for a decade or more. As an adult, his blog was shut down for criticizing the
Chinese government, he's been imprisoned, beaten and terrorized by law enforcement, placed under house arrest, his art studio destroyed, and barred from traveling outside of China. Human rights orgs all over the world have protested his persecution
as has the U.S. Government under Obama.
His art installations are huge. A retail store could not handle that amount. Which is why he put in a bulk order with the company.
FourScore
(9,704 posts)JI7
(89,249 posts)msongs
(67,405 posts)hobbit709
(41,694 posts)TeamPooka
(24,223 posts)Orrex
(63,208 posts)He should have no trouble obtaining his raw materials in-country.
KT2000
(20,577 posts)Most of the products made for export are not allowed to be sold inside China.
I was in Beijing a few months ago. Legos are made there, but then reimported. The official Lego stores are only a couple of years old and are just starting to catch on in a big way. They're also hard to find black market (although legal knock offs are still available, they're still not super easy to find). I thought I'd be able to get a good deal on Legos; instead I discovered they're actually more expensive in China.
(My MIL lives there, and I've had her on the hunt, as well, for a few years)
I'm not defending Lego at all. It's corporate coldness at its most cynical.
Orrex
(63,208 posts)But I was referring to compatible brands, such as Enlighten, Star Diamond, Sheng Yuan and Qizhi, to name a few.
The packaging for at least several of those brands are printed entirely in Chinese. It seems unlikely that those companies would design their packaging in such a way if their intent were to sell in, say, Belgium.
In short, whatever the artist's complaint about LEGO, there are other options available even in China.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)so the materials probably need to be in Australia, where the gallery is not in China where the artist is. Just my guess.
malaise
(268,980 posts)Really - wasn't Lego sold years ago?
olddots
(10,237 posts)AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)So, who feels ok with sharing every personal detail with google, microsoft and apple?
And how does that effect who is running for office?
Nuclear Unicorn
(19,497 posts)Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)Photos, video and more:
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/sep/24/ai-weiwei-alcatraz-lego-extraordinary
Eugene
(61,881 posts)Source: BBC
26 October 2015 Entertainment & Arts
Artist Ai Weiwei is setting up "Lego collection points" in different cities after being inundated with offers of donations from supporters.
Ai has accused Lego of "censorship and discrimination" after it refused his bulk order for bricks for a new exhibition in Melbourne, Australia.
Lego said it has never sold directly to anyone wanting to use its product to make a political statement.
The artist will now use the donated toy bricks to make a "new work".
"In response to Lego's refusal and the overwhelming public response, Ai Weiwei has now decided to make a new work to defend freedom of speech and 'political art'," said a post on the artist's Instagram account on Monday.
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Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34636319