Life-like Lego

Lees in Afrikaans.

From replicas of the Carlton Room Divider design icon to life-size full-body portraits, skulls climbing out of their skin, delicate dresses blustering in the breeze and just about anything really, Lego surely doesn’t get more jaw-dropping than Nathan Sawaya’s sculptures. Blown-away, we popped him a few questions to bring our VISI readers the inside story of this humble New York artist’s creative vision.

How did you get into working with Lego? 

I had Lego bricks growing up. When I was about 10 years old, I asked my parents if I could get a pet dog, and when they did not get one for me, I created a life-size dog for myself out of Lego bricks! It was an early turning point in my art career. 

As an artist, I like using the bricks as a medium because I enjoy seeing people’s reactions to artwork created from something with which they are familiar. Everyone can relate to it since it is a toy that many children have at home. But it is more than that. My favorite thing about using Lego bricks is seeing someone inspired by my artwork pick up a few bricks and start creating on their own.  

Can you build anything with Lego? How do you decide what to make?

I believe there is nothing I cannot build out of Lego. I want to take on projects that captivate the viewer for as long as I can keep their attention.

To decide what to make really depends on my inspiration. And inspiration comes from many places and people. I can be inspired by people I’ve met, locations I have traveled, or something as simple as a tree. Sometimes I’ll have an inspiration, idea or morsel of an idea but it will take years for the concept to develop and come to fruition. Also, I live in New York City and, when I get stuck, I’ll take a walk and it usually leads to some sort of creative vision.

When I first started out, I was motivated by an art book of Tom Friedman’s. I was blown away by his fabulous sculptures created from household items. I would stare at this book for hours and let my mind wander.

Recently I authored my own book to inspire others The Art of Nathan Sawaya. I put together a collection of photos of my work over the past few years with the hopes that kids will read it and be inspired to become artists themselves.

What has been your most challenging project? 

It is difficult to determine the most challenging project. Any time I am working with the rectangular bricks to create a human form is a challenge. Especially if the sculpture is depicting movement.

For example, my sculpture Yellow depicts a figure tearing his chest open while thousands of yellow Lego bricks spill out around him. It was very challenging to get the piece to look just right so that you feel the emotion of the subject.

Another challenging project was the Dinosaur Skeleton. A few years ago I built a gigantic skeleton of a T-Rex dinosaur. It measures over 20 feet long and it took me an entire summer to build. It is now part of my touring exhibition, The Art of the Brick.

When kids – and adults – ask you what you do and you reply, they must think you have a dream job. What possible downsides can there be?

There are not many downsides. I suppose, just not having enough time. I have multiple exhibitions touring the world, which means I am traveling a lot. And although seeing the globe is fantastic, sometimes I wish I had more time to just sit and create in the studio. Nonetheless, I find the time, and have been fortunate enough to keep busy with different projects.

As an artist, do you ever feel the need to work in another medium?

I have sculpted in other more traditional media like clay and wire, but I enjoy using Lego bricks. I appreciate the cleanliness of the Lego brick. The right angles. The distinct lines. As so often in life, it is a matter of perspective. Up close, the shape of the brick is distinctive. But from a distance, those right angles and distinct lines change to curves. That is what drew me to the brick.

Read more about Nathan on his website brickartist.com, and keep posted about his new work by liking TheBrickArtist on Facebook and following @NathanSawaya on Twitter.

Read more of VISI’s articles about Lego design and art.