Nathan Sawaya plays with Legos for a living.
Sawaya isn’t a typical sculptor. Instead of the traditional mediums like marble or clay, Sawaya relives his childhood by creating sculptures with the children’s toy Lego bricks. Next month he’s bringing his sculptures to South Florida.
Before becoming known worldwide as the “Lego Man,” Sawaya graduated from New York University with a bachelor of arts in political science and then a law degree a few years later. He spent the next number of years working for a law firm in New York.
“I would come home at night and need to be creative,” Sawaya told the UP. “Some people need to go to the gym at the end of the day. For me, I needed to create.”
At first, Sawaya sculpted out of more traditional media, but then one weekend he decided to make something out of Legos, toys from his childhood. Before long he had created a series of sculptures with the toys, much to the enjoyment of his friends and family.
“I dug [the Legos] out and created a large-scale piece, and the friends and family really liked it,” said Sawaya. “So I did some serious sculptures out of Legos and put them up on my Web site.”
Soon, Sawaya was getting commissions from around the world. After several years at the law firm, he decided to leave his six-figure salary for his studio full of toys.
“I realized that there was really something to it. So I went into it full-time, and now I’ve established a little niche for myself,” said Sawaya.
Ten years later, Sawaya’s Lego artwork is admired around the world by celebrities and regular people alike. Guest appearances by Sawaya on shows like David Letterman and MythBusters, where he built a ball out of Legos 7 feet high, have increased interest in his work.
Bassist Pete Wentz of the popular rock band Fall Out Boy is among the celebrities that have contacted Sawaya about his artwork. According to Sawaya, Wentz’s request was one of the weirdest he’s had.
“He [Wentz] contacted me because he was getting married at the time to Ashlee Simpson and he wanted a wedding gift for her. He was very particular: He wanted a 4-foot-tall bumblebee out of Legos,” said Sawaya. “I was happy to make that happen.”
Besides traveling around the world with his exhibits and working on the various requests he receives, Sawaya lets his creativity loose to build some interesting pieces.
“My passion is choosing work that really allows me to express my emotions, but sometimes I like to do stuff that is more whimsical. For example, I did a rendition of a Lego cello. It’s a life-size cello built completely out of Legos,” said Sawaya.
This Lego cello will be on display at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood for Sawaya’s upcoming exhibit.
As a part of his current tour, Sawaya has started collecting used bricks donated from families who no longer wanted the toys.
“I realized, ‘Wow, I should rescue this brick before it ends up in a landfill.’ I decided the best thing for me to do would be to start recycling used bricks for artwork.”
The pieces he recycles are not sorted by color like they are in his studio. Instead he uses a massive mix of colors to create the artwork. Because he used recycled Legos to build some of the sculptures in his current exhibit, he calls the exhibit The Art of the Brick: Replay.
Whether he’s building with brand-new Legos or used bricks, he hopes his art and medium of choice will inspire others.
“The great thing about it is that you have artwork out of this toy that everyone can relate to on different levels. If people see a sculpture made out of marble, they might like it, they might relate to it, but when they go home that night it’s very doubtful that they will have a big slab of marble in their living room that they can start chipping away at,” said Sawaya. “Hopefully with this artwork, people connect with it and are inspired.”
The Art of the Brick: Replay
Artist Nathan Sawaya once again will be displaying his Lego creations in South Florida. The exhibit features all-new sculptures ranging from emotional to whimsical. According to Misael Soto, curatorial associate at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, when Sawaya had his last exhibit during the summer of 2008, it broke the center’s attendance records with more than 5,000 visitors.
• When: June 4 through August 15
• Where: the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, 1650 Harrison St., Hollywood, FL33020 (Broward County)
• How much: adults $7, students $4, children (4-17) $4, children 3 and under free. The Art and Culture Center of Hollywood has a free admissions day every third Sunday of the month.
• For more info: www.artandculturecenter.org/nathan-sawaya-replay or (954) 921-3274
Live “Day Build”
Nathan Sawaya will be creating an original sculpture live. Attendees will get to see his creative process and how he works with Legos.
• When: June 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Where: Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, 1650 Harrison St., Hollywood, FL 33020 (Broward County)
• How much: free with the price of admission
• For more info: www.artandculturecenter.org/nathan-sawaya-replay or (954) 921-3274
[Source: Misael Soto, curatorial associate at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood]
Second Annual Florida Creation BRICK Challenge
Along with Nathan Sawaya’s exhibit The Art of the Brick: Replay, the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood is hosting a Lego creation challenge. There will be awards and prizes for each age group.
• When: August
• Important dates:
August 1–4: Entries must be submitted.
August 7–15: Creations will be on display at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood.
August 15 at 2 p.m.: awards presentation
• Who can enter: all Florida residents over the age of 5
• How much: $5 entry fee
• What to bring: your own Legos
For PDF of the entry form, rules and more info: www.artandculturecenter.org/brick-challenge
[Source: Misael Soto, curatorial associate at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood; www.artandculturecenter.org]
