Art of the Brick exhibition is upon our sunny Singapore shores now as a travelling exhibition for a limited time from 03 Sep 2024 till 31 Dec 2024. Those of us who grew up with Lego or are intrigued to how the play medium can be depicted as art through over 150 Sculptures spanning over 10 separate exhibitions rooms to explore at your own time. It tad offers a unique and visually captivating experience, blending creativity and childhood nostalgia with fine art. Let’s take a gallery explore.
Notably, the Art of the Brick exhibition touts to have toured over 100 cities in 24 countries. It is said to be the world’s best-known exhibit of LEGO Art. It is worth noting that it is not an official Lego exhibition nor is Nathan Sawaya affiliated with the Lego group.
Getting there
Moreover, the exhibitions are tucked away from the main Expo halls 8B. It is just a short 10min walk across the taxi-pickup stand from the Expo MRT station. This is the same area which served the Singapore Airshow buses we visited sometime back. The gallery is reached after some walk past an open carpark area. Notably, the entrance of the exhibits sits a vast main lobby area where the ticketing counter and exhibition entrance reside. Here, friendly staff greets you at the entrance, tickets can be purchased on-site too.
Regular ticket prices are $42.80 for Monday and Tuesday weekdays, $38.80 on Wednesdays and $47.80 on Fridays and weekends. Tourist rates costs about $6-7 more. Moreover, there are also some special pricing available in-person, with cheaper rates for residents priced at $23.90/adult. Interestingly this space is also shared with the Bubble planet sister exhibition. Also, the other show takes up half of the convention hall here, with the Art of the brick occupying up half of the convention hall 8 space here, split in the middle.
A display of Lego in art
You start off with an introductory video, with foreword by the artist and creator of the exhibition, Nathan Sawaya himself. Here, he describes Lego as means to offer a unique perspective on how abstract concepts can be visualized using just the coloured building blocks.
Also, the galleries invites you to pause and reflect on emotional experiences, making it a more intimate part of the exhibit. This is presented in dark galleries with contrast to strong lighting on the figures.
Furthermore, the exhibits are laid out in a linear and logical manner, with one gallery leading onto the next. The first thing that grabs your attention is the sheer scale of the artwork, made entirely of LEGO bricks. Especially those of everyday items, like crayons for instance.
Also, the exhibit is a striking testament to how an ordinary, everyday children toy can be use in creative means transformed into extraordinary art.
The first gallery is home to a couple of abstract art pieces. It blends ideas of fantasy, thoughts and peace in one room. Musings includes a detailed castle pop-up book and a room filled with several original sculptures depicting scenes of everyday life.
Catch the Yellow piece
Furthermore, here you can find Nathan Sawaya most famous art piece, Yellow. It stands prominently taking center stage here in the galley. It depicts a life-sized Lego human figure tearing open its own chest, with a cascade of yellow bricks spilling out from within.
Moreover, the piece is a powerful metaphor for self-expression and the emotional release that comes with exposing one’s inner self. Sawaya described this piece as a symbol of his creative process. It is an act of opening up and letting one’s true passions, thoughts and feelings pour out into the world.
Also, the vivid yellow colour represents energy, creativity, and vulnerability. Also, this iconic and emotionally charged sculpture is both whimsical and thought-provoking. It does capture an emotional depth that the Lego art can evoke. Also, the bricks tumbling from the figure’s chest illustrate the raw, sometimes chaotic nature of his personal expression.
Skulls and Human Expression
Next gallery offers a display of Lego human skulls. They are meticulously crafted and arranged in rows on stands, flanked by wall art. Notably, the skulls were rendered in a rather pixelated, blocky style that juxtaposes the playful nature of Lego.
Also, the displays coupled in the contrasting dark setting offers a stark finality of mortality. Also, the skulls gallery serves as a memento mori. It prompts the reflections on life, death, and the universal human condition.
Classical art pieces and paintings
Furthermore, the leading gallery is one devoted to sculptures and recreations of classical art pieces, but with a Lego twist. The Past Masters Gallery recreates famous masterpieces from art history, giving them a modern twist by reconstructing them brick by brick.
Moreover, this section houses familiar art masterpieces. Here you can encounter LEGO versions of timeless works such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night, and Edvard Munch’s The Scream, among others.
Also, there were carefully reconstructed in tiny, colourful blocks. The attention to detail is stunning, those some details are inevitably lost with the blocky nature of Lego, but gains a new dimension through the pixelated texture and vibrant colors of LEGO. The paintings definitely won’t go unnoticed.
Moreover, Lego sculptures here depicts some of history’s most iconic statues, including Michelangelo’s David, Rodin’s The Thinker, and the Venus de Milo. reinterprets these classical forms with a modern, geometric twist. Also, notably, the smooth marble-like surfaces of the originals are replaced with the blocky, pixelated texture of Lego.
The galleries lead into a set of miscellaneous cultural references in Lego. A notable display here is a Lego puppy dog, as well as a Red Dress. Interestingly, the flowing dress is a dynamic piece seemingly caught in a moment of violent motion. Also, it appears as if it is being blown apart by an invisible force, appearing to be dissolving into scattered Lego fragments.
Themed rooms including a T-rex!
Furthermore, continuing through the exhibition, you will start to find individual dedicated section showcasing larger, more ambitious works. A standout piece in this section is the Swimmer.
This water-inspired piece has a gallery room dedicated just for it. The scene depicts a swimming torso prone into the water emerging from a pool of blue (water) LEGO bricks. Notably, the piece emphasises fluidity and movement captured in what is typically a rigid medium is impressive, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the piece.
In contrast to these larger works, some rooms feature more introspective pieces. Another highlight is a towering LEGO dinosaur humorously named T-rex. Not built to full scale, still the T-Rex towering about 3 meters tall dinosaur skeleton. This intricate prehistoric piece took Sawaya several months to complete.
It comprises of thousands of bricks carefully assembled to recreate the skeletal form of the prehistoric predator, including the parts where they can be assembled and disassembled whole. Also, this does showcases Sawaya’s Lego technical mastery and patience. It does bring out the inner child in everyone. As you walk around it, the lack of barriers between you and exhibits allows you to go close to it and observe how it is built and put together.
Lots of photo opportunities
Next is the Pink Installation. It is a take on the Instagram generation, with a throne and several accessories making for a photo opportunity. Also, it appears to be inspired by other similar pieces we saw in the previous galleries, but in Pink.
Moreover, one of the last galleries is a striking work called Decisions. It is one of Nathan Sawaya’s most thought-provoking installations. It features human figures suspended above a pit filled with hundreds of outstretched red LEGO hands.
Also, the piece symbolizes the moment of critical choice, where individuals are caught between rising above or succumbing to the pull of societal pressures, fears, or personal struggles. The floating figures represent those at a crossroads, while the grasping hands below evoke themes of desperation, support, or entrapment.
Through this pieces, Sawaya leaves the interpretation open, but the piece visually confronts viewers with the weight of decisions and their consequences. It does often evoking awe from viewers who are captivated by its sheer scale and lifelike structure built from an unconventional medium.
Lego activity closing area
Furthermore, towards the end of the gallery, the exhibit takes on a more playful tone. The galleries exit out into a play and activity area, with an interactive section you can to build your own Lego creations in a Lego pit.
Additionally, there is also a gaming and interactive play area with Lego themed console games on screens. Also, this area tad adds a hands-on element popular with children, families or kidults. It allows everyone to unleash their own creativity after being inspired by the stunning works of art they’ve just seen.
Moreover, there is an animated wall where you can scan-in artworks you coloured on pieces of paper, where they are animated on a live screen. Also, this “sketch farm” is very similar to Future world permanent exhibition we previously visited at the Art Science Museum in Marina bay sands.
Eventually you pass by the attraction gift shop hawking books and exhibition merchandises as well as Lego sets. You exit via a long narrow corridor the entire length of the hall back to the lobby entrance start point.
Wrapping up
All in all, that wraps up on your visit to “The Art of the Brick”. You can good for the exhibition for about 1.5 hours tops. It offers tad a well-rounded and engaging experience. From the impressive recreations of classical art to the original sculptures that pushes the boundaries of Lego as a creative medium. It is tad an exhibit that appeals to art lovers, Lego enthusiasts, and curious casual visitors alike.
The Art of the Brick runs from 03 Sep till 31st Dec end of this year. The The Art of the Brick exhibition is located at Hall 8B within the Singapore Expo at 9 Somapah Road (Singapore 487370). The galleries opening hours are from 11am-9pm (with last entry at 8pm) from Mon to Thurs, 10am to 10pm on Fridays & Saturdays (last entry at 9pm), and 10am to 9pm on Sundays (last entry at 8pm). The exhibition is closed every Tuesdays.
