The Art of the Brick - Nathan Sawaya


My family and I recently visited 'The Art of the Brick' exhibition which is currently on show in Cape Town. The exhibition by artist Nathan Sawaya is unique in that it's constructed completely from Lego blocks!

There's a short film as you enter the exhibition, where Sawaya tells the compelling story of his journey from an unhappy lawyer to an inspired and celebrated artist with his work from Lego blocks. He speaks about believing in yourself and doing the things that you love, " art is necessary."

My wife and I enjoyed the sentiment within some of the work, especial the piece 'step ladder', where a figures arms extend into a ladder that they are also climbing. The quote by Sawaya, next to the artwork reads "Sometimes when you're looking for a step up, you don't have to look any further than yourself. Were all capable of more than we think." A lot of the exhibits are supported by Sawayas inspirational words, helping give depth to the exhibition.

Then there's his reworking of some of the worlds most famous pieces of art including Gustav Klimts Kiss, Edvard Munch's The Scream, Grant Wood's American Gothic and even the Bayeux Tapestry's among many others. What makes these so interesting (apart from the fact their made completely from Lego) is that Sawaya has taken a 2D painting and made it into a 3D work of art. You can look around the side and back of many of the pieces. I also really enjoyed the life size re working of famous sculptures including the Venus de Milo. The scale of these brings a real wow factor as does the exhibitions crescendo, a very cool dinosaur made from over 80000 pieces of Lego. My one year old son's favorite!

I can highly recommend the exhibition which for us was a fantastic day out and a super way for kids to also appreciate art.

 

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