Nathan Sawaya
Nathan Sawaya
Nathan Sawayais an American-based artist who builds custom three-dimensional sculptures and large-scale mosaics from popular everyday items and is best known for his work with standard LEGO toy bricks. His art creations are commissioned by companies, charities, individuals, museums and galleries all over the world...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSculptor
Date of Birth10 July 1973
CityColville, WA
CountryUnited States of America
caress statue
I think watching Channing Tatum caress his Lego Oscar statue will be something I won't forget. Even if I try.
I am an artist who works with Lego.
cent commission life personal split work
I split my commission and personal work about 50 per cent each. It is important to get that balance in life.
recreate
I see the world in rectangles. If I am talking to someone, I find myself analysing their face, working out how to recreate it in bricks.
biggest buy capital case far few million
I have about 4 million Lego bricks. And then a few million in storage in case something comes up. I still pay for them. I buy my bricks just like everyone else. It's by far my biggest capital expense.
art kids levels
One of the reasons I love using LEGO bricks is because it makes the art very relatable and accessible; folks can connect with the art almost on a different level because they have played with it or their kids have played with it.
inspiration exhibitions way
Inspiration is tough to define, it comes from so many different places. I have multiple exhibitions touring the globe, so I do travel quite a bit and travel is a great way to find inspiration.
art children home
THE ART OF THE BRICK exhibition is accessible because it engages the child in all of us while simultaneously illuminating sophisticated and complex concepts. Everyone can relate to the medium since it is a toy that many children have at home. But my goal with this exhibition when it first debuted in 2007 was to elevate this simple plaything to a place it has never been before.
mean years together
The fact that you can take LEGO bricks from thirty years ago and they still snap together with the same new LEGO brick that comes out, I mean what type of product can span generations like that, there is something really special to it.
artist lawyer worst
I have realised that my worst day as an artist is still better than my best day as a lawyer.
people age different
LEGO is universal. So many people enjoy it, from all different walks of life, all different ages, all different cultures. When I was in Africa, I had LEGO bricks with me and I met some people who had never heard of LEGO, they had never seen it before and yet as soon as I gave them a few bricks, they immediately got it.
distance simple curves
I like using LEGO bricks as a medium because I enjoy seeing people’s reaction to artwork created from something with which they are familiar. …My goal is to elevate this simple plaything to a place it has never been before. I also appreciate the cleanliness of the LEGO® brick. The right angles. The distinct lines. But, from a distance, those right angles and distinct lines offer new perspectives, changing to curves.
home museums appreciate
When people go to museums and see a sculpture made out of marble, they appreciate it but it's very doubtful that they will go home and have a slab of marble they can chip away at, but people do have LEGO. I don't have any LEGO specially made for me, all of the shapes, sizes and colours I use are available in stores so that if someone is inspired to create on their own, they can go and buy the very same bricks.
art people understanding
Art makes better humans, art is necessary in understanding the world and art makes people happy. Undeniably, art is not optional.