NYU Law Grad Turns to Legos as Art Career

March 25, 2010
New York, NY

Nathan Sawaya used to be an attorney, but has made quite the switch—to “Lego Artist.” Currently in his thirties, he gleams the satisfaction of a child who playfully builds and creates works of his imagination … with those little colorful bricks.

With life-size Lego statues bearing heavy emotional intensity in their features and positions, Sawaya has managed to portray significant meanings and moods through the simplest of childrens’ toys. Many of his sculptures are human figures and faces, posing like Greek gods with a sense of ambiguity and emotion, yet framed in the almost petty context of primary-colored toy blocks.





Sawaya’s past is unique in that he started off as a Journalism major during his undergraduate years, later moving on to the NYU School of Law. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life—and, well, at the time I figured Law school was the sort of thing society accepted.”

But in 2000, Sawaya discovered his talent in creativity when he began making large-scale 3D pieces out of candy. He moved on to Legos because he's always loved to play with them, but has managed to “break out of the idea that I’m using toys as a medium," he said. "I'm able to portray something far more meaningful and deep”—like the emotion etched in a human face or a nude body—through simple childhood toys.



On the night of March 25, 2010—the show’s opening—Agora gallery was jam-packed with enthusiastic viewers who appeared to be reliving their childhood through the “toy” sculptures.

Sawaya says that he has to glue all the Legos together in order to prevent them from falling apart while transporting them across the country. His work is currently touring the U.S. in the Art of the Brick Museum exhibit.

"BRICK BY BRICK: The LEGO Brick Sculptures of Nathan Sawaya" will be held from March 23 until April 13, 2010. The Agora Gallery is located in Chelsea, on 530 West 25th Street.