Brick Art

Yellow, the iconic sculpture by Nathan Sawaya that
reflects the metamorphosis he has been through in
his own journey

If you are a fan of Lego bricks, then you will certainly enjoy “The Art of the Brick,” an exhibition that exclusively uses Lego as an art medium.  This exhibition is currently touring North America and Australia and renowned as one of CNN’s Top 10 ‘Global Must-See Exhibitions.’ 

A visit to Legoland Malaysia in Johor Baru during the year-end holidays can be complemented with a Lego experience at The Art of the Brick exhibition now on in the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands Singapore till April 14, 2013.  

Entrance to The Art of the Brick
exhibition at Marina Bay Sands Singapore

New York-based artist Nathan Sawaya, 39, received his first Lego set as a Christmas gift from his grandparents when he was aged 5.  As an attorney, he worked long hours and could only indulge in his passion for Lego bricks after work.  Inspired by how well his sculptures created with toy-building Lego bricks were received, Sawaya realised that he could make a living doing what he loves best. 

When his exhibition opened in Singapore on Nov 17, Sawaya unveiled a specially commissioned sculpture of the exhibition venue, the iconic ArtScience Museum in its lotus-inspired design. 

A thought-provoking sculpture entitled, Disintegration

The Art of the Brick exhibition features the largest collection of 52 large-scale Lego sculptures ever displayed.  Among other thought-provoking sculptures, you can look forward to see the biggest sculpture he has made using 80,020 Lego bricks – a 6-meter long Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. 

“There is no idea that cannot be expressed with Lego.  I still use those same rectangular plastic bricks that I had as a child, but now I try and use them in a way that hasn’t been seen before,” read a quotation from Sawaya displayed in the exhibition. 

A 3-D sculpture called, Rain

The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through several galleries like The Artist’s Studio, The Portrait Gallery, The Drawing Board and The Emotion Box.  There are also interactive sections like the one in the Artist’s Studio where visitors are challenged to build similar 3-dimensional sculptures with the Lego bricks provided.  If the Sawaya creation of Rain looks simple, just try your hand to make one of your own!

In the Portrait Gallery, you will recognise some famous personalities that Sawaya created by transforming 3-dimensional Lego bricks into 2-dimensional portraits. 

If you are keen to know how you will look in a Lego portrait, just step behind the camera set up in the gallery for an instant shot.  You will be amazed that when you look beyond the bricks, you can easily recognise the person in the photo!

My portrait created in Lego bricks!

You cannot miss the full-scale sculpture entitled, Blue Guy, made with 21,054 pieces of Lego bricks.  A chair placed next to this cool guy makes it irresistible for visitors to sit down and mimic his pose. 

After your experience of the artist’s uniquely playful imagination in The Art of the Brick, don’t be surprised if you are inspired to explore your own creativity with familiar Lego bricks.

The Art of the Brick exhibition is open daily from 10am to 10pm.  Tickets can be bought on the ArtScience Museum website, www.marinabaysands.com/ArtScienceMuseum and all Marina Bay Sands box offices.  For more info on Nathan Sawaya and The Art of the Brick, visit www.brickartist.com

That's me with the Blue Guy!

Facade of the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands Singapore

I spotted these cute cakes created like Lego bricks at the Sweet Spot,
Lobby of Tower 3, Marina Bay Sands Singapore

A version of this article was published in The New Straits Times, Johor Streets on 10 December 2012