What did you like to build with your LEGO® bricks?
I gotta admit that I wasn’t very creative and mostly built houses/forts and perhaps an occasional car and I would just stick a little family inside. There is a reason I didn’t seek a career as an artist…
But Nathan Sawaya, a former corporate lawyer had other ideas about what he could build with his LEGO® bricks. This New Yorker saw his little colorful blocks as a medium for art and sculpting.
He has created striking sculptures of the human form, famous buildings, and a 6-meter long T-rex skeleton. It is fascinating to see how he has tried to create emotion and impart a sense of humanity to something most of us see as a childhood toy. I was lucky enough to attend this exhibit to see 52 of his sculptures. The exhibit goes through May 26 in Singapore and I highly recommend it if it ever comes to your city!
Here are a few favorite pieces:
Masks and Transformation
Mask – what mask do you show to the world?
Ascension – what will lift you up? Success? Love? Fame?
Yellow – How do you open yourself to the world?
Whimsy and our world
Dinosaur skeleton – this is composed of over 80,000 bricks!
Shape and color
Inside – you are at first a shell and then fill in who you are inside.
Buildings
The ArtScience Museum (Nathan creates miniature replicas of famous buildings that are hosting the exhibit like the ArtScience Museum!)
Doorway – step behind and outside of yourself
The Portrait Artist
Janis – I love the detail and emotion here!
An artist’s view – an artist’s medium can sometimes be confused with reality!
There were great interactive pieces throughout the exhibit as well so that one could attempt to build a cool piece as well. Or if you just want to relax – try some reflexology!
I hope I can see more of his work in NYC. His collaboration with Dean West “In Pieces” looked gorgeous. Imagine wearing a dress made of LEGO® bricks!
Omg’d this is frickin brilliant! My favorites are opening yourself up to the world and that red dress. He is awesome! Thanks for sharing girl! 😀
Don’t you love these pieces Kim? I’m glad I also had the exhibit brochure so I could really understand his reasoning behind each sculpture.
I hope you can work in NYC too. The Lego sculptures are amazing! I also like legos.
oh wow, this is just amazing! so awesome to see how a simple childhood toy can become amazing art. i really like the dinosaur and fruit art.
That ‘In Pieces’ collab is epic – I am so in love! 🙂
My husband and I were just talking about this – isn’t it crazy because he probably had to build the LEGO dress around the model! That must have taken a while!
This is such a cool exhibit! I love the red dress at the end, and the swimmer at the top 🙂
Oh, Lego!! I love the artist’s quote also. ;D Thanks for sharing this!! Love finding new work.
Kate
Kate, thanks for stopping by and you’re welcome! I love to share great art and it is pretty cool right?
Loved the pics you shared on instagram of this, so glad you fully covered it here 🙂
I’m glad you like it Elle! Isn’t the LEGO dress also insane?
Wow, I am completely enthralled at his talents…wow the amount of creativity and skill required to create these art forms are amazing! How brilliant is that red dress!!
The LEGO dress is mind blowing!
Whoa. how do you even get in a lego dress? do they build it around you?
I always just built houses. three stories, with a flower garden in the front.
Seriously I asked the same question. i’m guessing the model has to stand there for a while as the Lego dress is built around her!