Concrete Playground

As a writer I'm pretty happy with the fact that I get to sit around in pyjama pants all day, but even that has nothing on being a professional LEGO builder. New York-based artist Nathan Sawaya is man with this enviable job title, and he has created the first exhibition ever to focus exclusively on LEGO bricks as an art medium. Turning something that nearly all children have at home — and most adults still have a sentimental attachment to — into incredible large-scale sculptures, this is an exhibition that truly exemplifies the belief that art should be accessible to all.

Art of the Brick has been selling out all over North America for several years, and has finally made its way to Sydney. Those with a predisposition to jealousy should probably avoid the exhibition, which will make even the most carefully constructed LEGO Pirate ships and intricate themed villages seem like, well, toys.

Sawada’s creations resemble everything from pieces of fruit to famous faces and actual-size dinosaur skeletons, all created without the help of building instructions. Book early, because tickets will be hotter than a kit of LEGO Technic.