It all began when Sawaya left the legal world and decided to embrace the artist within. He began reinterpreting classical works by the great masters –a Moai head from Easter Island, Nefertiti, and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, among others. The Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge also received the Lego treatment as a tribute to the city Sawaya calls home.
The exhibit premièred in 2007 at the Lancaster Museum of Art in America
During Sawaya’s month-long residency at the museum, attendance skyrocketed from 20 000 to 55 000 visitors and gained international media attention. Since then, it has travelled the world and been seen by over 1.5million people.
Sculptures are split between Sawaya originals and remodelled classical pieces from various periods of art history. Paintings are also remodelled in Lego. Sawaya’s intention with remodelling is to guide visitors through art history using the highly engaging and childish nature of Lego.
“I learned my first adjectives watching TV. I learned how to count to 10 with the help of Sesame Street. I learned gravity thanks to my Slinky toy. Imagine a child learning art history through Lego,” said Sawaya.
The other half of the exhibition, split between the Human Condition and Human Expression, comprises Sawaya originals. Many of these pieces convey Sawaya’s artistic journey from a desk job to working artist.
“Much of my work suggests a figure in transition. It represents the metamorphosis that I experience in my own life,” he said.
The common theme in Sawaya’s work is a spirit of revelry in the simple aspects of human nature. His art questions the boundaries that we place on our lives and encourages us to push past them into unexplored territory.
