Lego for Ai Weiwei collected by Australia gallery

An Australian gallery has set up a collection point for Lego by artist Ai Weiwei for a work, following the Danish company rejected a bulk order from him.

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) wants Australians to contribute the toy bricks by pouring them through the sunroof of a car parked in the gallery.

Really is hosting an exhibit by Ai and Andy Warhol in December.

Lego has said it includes a long standing policy to not provide its bricks for works.

Ai is a high profile critic of his home country, China. He’s used Lego to produce portraits of other well-known dissidents, like Edward Snowden and Nelson Mandela.

He has called Lego’s choice to not sell him their merchandise an “act of censorship and discrimination”.

The NGV said its group point was the first to be set up outside Beijing.

The bricks was meant to be useful for an installation at the gallery in Melbourne but the NGV said the donations would go “towards a fresh project being produced by the artist”.

Ai has said after being inundated from assistants, he will set up additional group points in more cities.