So I took the initiative to go see the Art of Brick Exhibition in Times Square with my boo on a slow Saturday. I did my research before and got purchased my tickets on Groupon for less than the original ticket value ($25.00/person). I'm not really the type of person to over pay for anything. That's why I'm somewhat of a museum snob because I want to pay as a donation rather than an entry fee. For what I paid for, it was worth every cent. I noticed that the majority of people on line were young kids with their parents and a few old folks here and there. The exhibition commences by a tour guide leading us to the entry of the first room. We are told to watch a quick introductory video of the artist, Nathan Sawaya and he basically talks about how he started, his passion, inspiration, the usual pretentious crap an artist goes into. We walk into a small room with a replicas of famous art works and every one was ooiong and aaing at the familiar artworks. I noticed that the room was quite small and dimly light and the carpet kind made the space look small. It reminded me of a playroom for kids. Which I guess is the point, but the whole space looked like an 8th grade art class. Most of the artwork in the first room was all based on paintings. I noticed that some on the paintings were flat and some of the backgrounds looked plain. I am a sucker for details and it bothered me when I saw that he didn't play around with the background by adding thin brick to pop out. Otherwise it was definitely impressive.
Vermeer, Girl with the Pearl Earring
Leonardo DaVinci, Mona Lisa
Twilight, Venice by Claude Monet
James Whistler, Whistler's Mother
Caveman Painting
Hokusai, The Great Wave of Kanagawa
Edvard Munch, The Scream
Van Gogh, The Starry Night
The second room was a little more open and bright. Statues and replicas of monuments got the kids excited. And every one was stunned by the towering replicas. I think Sawaya was trying to give an ode to all the artists before him who have created monuments and masterpieces and its rather clear that he wants to be in that echelon of artists who have made a difference in history. I find that concept to be a little conceited, but this guy has all the skills and charm to make it big. In the back, there is a room of more personal sculptures that Sawaya did. It was a more vibrant and colorful and probably something he made in a short period of time. There was even a time lapse video of him building a set in a matter of minutes sped up.
Going downstairs, I saw more of his larger figurative artwork displayed in a more Zen room. Of course the centerpiece in the room was the infamous yellow figure ripping it's chest open. My favorite piece was the blue figure swimming in a pile of blue Lego bricks. The room on the right displayed more colorful figures and dimensional layered statues. It was definitely part of his experimental phase for sure.
One of the last few rooms featured more dark pieces. And some of them weren't as intricate, but the most incredible piece was the dinosaur sculpture. I really wish that I could have seen more variety within the mediums. But Swayan has so much time to experiment and recreate. I'll give him 20 more years to see his grand collection.
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