“Art makes better humans, art is necessary in understanding the world, and art makes people happy. Undeniably, art is not an option,” said Nathan Sawaya.
New York-based artist, Nathan Sawaya, displays his artistic abilities in the form of Lego bricks. His life-size sculptures have traveled to places such as New York, Miami, and now, Boston.
The Art of the Brick, the largest Lego exhibit ever assembled, showcases Lego art made by Sawaya, along with other artists and their inspirations.
According to Sawaya, inspiration can come from anywhere just like anything can be used to create art. Personally, he gets his inspiration from the city, his own experiences and failures, and the human body. He uses Lego pieces to creatively express such things and travels the country in order to inspire other artists.
His most famous piece, “Yellow,” which contains 11,014 Legos, shows the metamorphosis Sawaya has faced on his journey. To adults, it may represent the relief of “opening oneself up to the world,” while to children the sculpture may simply be cool because of the vivid image of a man opening up his chest and having his guts spill all over.
With over 2.5 million colored bricks in his art studio, Sawaya continues to challenge himself to create unexpected shapes and uses his imagination to come up with sculptures and photograph additions that have never been done before.
In this exhibit, Sawaya gives other artists the opportunity to showcase their talents as well. Different forms of religion, culture, and politics are represented all through these colored bricks known as Legos.
Other pieces showcased at this exhibit are “The Kiss,” based on the work by Gustav Klimt, containing 18,893 bricks, “American Gothic,” based on the work of Grant Wood, containing 8,303 bricks, and “Moai,” assembled by an unknown artist who used 75,450 bricks.
The exhibit takes visitors through a journey, room by room, that expresses the artists’ struggles, strengths, and personal studios. It does not show the lives of perfect artists but it does show the lives of determination, passion, and creativity.
Visitors are welcome to participate in Sawaya’s growing exhibit by writing their names on a Lego and attaching it to the wall at the end of the exhibit. Sawaya’s expectation is that people walk out of there feeling inspired and encouraged to be part of something grand and to create art using whatever they may find, no matter how weird it may be.
The Art of the Brick, located on the second floor of the Quincy Market building at Faneuil Hall, will be open until January 11, 2015 for all to attend and enjoy.