This was the third exhibition I’ve been to at the Armory Studios in Schenectady. Firstly, I love the location; the team that sets up these shows makes the most use of the spaces they have within the building. And each show is so vastly different from the one before it, you don’t even realize it’s the same place. One room (section) flows organically into the next area, and everything seems smooth and well-thought-out.
There was a pleasant young man who welcomed me at the door and explained where I should start and how to navigate the exhibit. He told me to have fun, and with the wave of his hand, I was sent on my way.
Nathan Sawaya is an award-winning American artist, the first to take LEGO into the art world. He uses over 1 million bricks to create the most fantastic art, and his exhibition shows have broken attendance records worldwide. (Can you believe over 10 million sets of eyes have enjoyed them worldwide?) I found them to be full of playfulness and beauty, as well as devastating emotion.
Several displays stopped me in my tracks – I was only able to gape at them, and acknowledge the painstaking work, the hours it must have taken Nathan to dream up such great work. I would classify his creations as pop art, but I’m not sure if others would agree. Which is okay; in the eye of the beholder, and all that sentiment…
The collection showcased some of his original works, but also highlighted his re-imagined versions of great masterpieces. Think Michelangelo’s ‘David,’ Van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night,’ or Leonardo’s ‘Da Vinci,’ to name a few. It was a place where you could stand and study each one for as long as you wanted – just like you might in an art museum. This truly felt like one to me!
I think my favorite part was a collaboration between Sawaya and the award-winning photographer, Dean West. In one room, framed photographs hung on the wall. It was wonderful to see so many eye-catching pieces. Next to them, the LEGO artist had pulled out one ‘piece’ of the image and created it with the bricks. For instance, one shows what looks like a movie theater. The film playing is ‘On the Run.’ And there is a woman out front, walking (or running) in a bright red dress that is billowing around her. Nathan took the idea of the dress, built it from bright red LEGOs, and hung it from the ceiling. It’s astounding, to say the least, as you can feel the fluid motion, even though it is a static piece. In another, he created a brown and tan bath towel and flip flops, items inspired by a photo showing a man at the edge of a pool, ready to test the waters.
Many of the showpieces were riddled with raw emotion. You could sense change, struggle, pain, and despair. A transformation and rebirth, so to speak. “My favorite subject is the human form. A lot of my work suggests a figure in transition. It represents the metamorphosis I am experiencing in my own life. My pieces grow out of my fears and accomplishments, as a lawyer and as an artist, as a boy and as a man.” Many of Nathan’s quotes are on boards that hang around the galleries you walk through while enjoying the show.
One of the iconic pieces, “Yellow,” was created by the artist over a decade ago and is one of his most recognizable sculptures. It was made from 11,000 bright yellow bricks and depicts a human figure ripping open its chest, with bricks spilled onto the surface around it. This sculpture has appeared in various locations, including in fashion campaigns and Lady Gaga’s “G.U.Y” music video.
There were also Crayola crayons, a set of Jax, a castle in the clouds, a nearly 20-foot T. rex dinosaur (pictured at top of article) constructed with more than 80,000 bricks, flying figures, animals, skulls, and a sweet all-pink room with furniture. Ice cream cones and musical instruments made from the toys we remember playing with as kids. The sign over that display states, “Art is not optional.” It’s the theme that runs through the entire show.
It was fun to learn that, at his full-time working studios in New York and Los Angeles, Nathan has 2.5 million LEGO bricks at his immediate disposal to craft these large-scale, larger-than-life sculptures for various collectors, galleries, and companies.
On the way out, folks are invited to spend some time thinking about what they just witnessed, encouraged to come up with some imaginative pieces of their own. Here, I watched adults and children of all ages working on LEGO pieces. I had somewhere else I needed to be, but I would have loved to stick around to see their finished vision. Maybe next time.
Location address: Armory Studios, Washington Avenue, Schenectady, NY
Hours
The Armory opens at 10:00 am, and tickets are sold for every hour from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm. The show takes about an hour, according to the website, but I was there for almost two hours.
It is ADA-compliant, and all ages are welcome.
Parking
There is a lot that is free in the back area of the building. My GPS led me right to it. Easy-peasy.
Prices vary; refer to the website ticket calendar.
The show opened in August and runs through October 31st. I hope you don’t miss this show. It was truly unique.
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Theresa St. John is a freelance travel writer, photographer, and videographer based in Saratoga Springs, New York. She is interested in WWII history, museums, food, slavery, the Underground Railroad, interviewing interesting people, restaurant reviews, local travel, anything ghost-related, and the Erie Canal, among other things. Theresa loves to travel and sinks her feet into the moments of places she visits. Her photography essays, along with the written word, help tell the story to readers everywhere.