Let’s be serious: we all toyed with Legos when we were wee little kids, pretending we were architects constructing new worlds with those little colored bricks. But former lawyer Nathan Sawaya’s Lego art is architecturally amazing. He molds life-size sculptures using one of the most non-malleable materials ever made; Legos have four corners and cannot be shaped, construed or folded, and yet he manages to mimic the human form with fluid scaling and an eye for proportion. The shadows cast by the shapes also give his human and face sculptures an extremely life-like appeal…and yet, the irony is that these sculptures are made out of a child’s toy.
What was the first piece of artwork you created using Legos?
NS: When I was 8 years old, I asked my parents if I could have a dog. When they said no, I built one out of Legos.
How did the art world receive you when you first broke onto the scene?
NS: I got some nasty responses at first, but then more prominent people and celebrities started buying my work and a gallery show in Chelsea soon followed.
What’s the oddest request you’ve ever received?
NS: Someone asked me to create a lifesized nude woman with a cat face.
Watch out for more from this guy. Soon the world will be pixellated.
(And I apologize; these photos were taken on my cell phone since my G12 is in the shop being fixed. Thanks for your patience)
