LEGO® brick lovers, this place is for you! A must-see if you (or your kids) are fans of the humble brick. This amazing CNN exhibit has toured all over the world and is unlike any other I have seen before. Colourful LED displays and immersive projections that make the larger than life sculptures come to life. This is my Art of the Brick Melbourne Review.
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What is Art of the Brick Exhibition?
The Art of the Brick Exhibition is an immersive art exhibit of all sort of sculptures made solely of LEGO® pieces. The artist, Nathan Sawaya is an award winning artist (and ex- lawyer) that has displayed his realistic, and in most instances, life sized sculptures all over the world.
The Art of the Brick Exhibit is currently displayed in Melbourne (till June 2024), London, Paris, Miami & Philadelphia. The exhibit moves to different cities so keep an eye on their site to check the dates and locations. More than 100 sculptures are on display in Melbourne and over a million LEGO® pieces have been used. Mind-blowing when you see the scale of some of the sculptures.
This is the second time that Art of the Brick has come to Melbourne (in 2011) and this time the show is bigger and better!
***EXHIBIT IS ENDING ON 1 SEPTEMBER 2024***
Things to love about the Art of the Brick Exhibition
- Immersive displays with projections, lights and sounds that make you feel like the room and sculptures come to life
- Suitable for all ages of LEGO® brick lovers! Kids and adults alike will appreciate the work and imagination that has been put into this colourful display
- Each display is individually explained with how many brick pieces have been used for the build as well as the meaning to the artist on why he created each sculpture
Art of the Brick Review
As you enter the exhibit there are 11 Sections to explore. At the ticket desk before you walk in – don’t forget to look closely at the yellow walls, which are filled with thousands of minifigure heads!
Sections 1 / 2 – Introduction of Exhibition
As you enter there is a LED self-portrait of the artist Nathan Sawaya. The portrait is the largest ever LEGO® built installation!
In the room to the side of the portrait, you watch a short 2-minute intro video where Nathan explains how he came about to become an artist by creating sculptures entirely made of LEGO® bricks, one of his favourite childhood toys.
Sections 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 – Brick Sculptures
Sections 3 to 6 are all galleries of brick sculptures. You start with the impressive Yellow (and many more smaller colourful versions of it). This huge sculpture of a man opening up his chest with LEGO® spilling out, represents how the artist opened up to the world with his work, and his true ‘inside’, Bricks!
You then move onto the Infinity Rainbow, where 7 figures are standing connected all in different colours. A bright floating umbrella and clouds make this room perfect for a photo (or many), insta-worthy shots.
Across to a smaller room you then see this huge bright fluro yellow replica of Lando Norris helmet (the F1 star driver). This impressive piece took over 80 hours to complete!
Humanity is the next section. All the sculptures represent emotions, and states of mind and are visual representations of being human. I love how Nathan can portray these so vividly with grey bricks for the outside of the sculptures but with coloured LEGO® for the inside.
Section 6, Masks, is a cool gallery with colourful 7 shimmering skull masks hanging on the walls.
Section 7 – Interactive display, Kinetic Skulls
This interactive gallery is called Kinetic Skulls. More than 250 floating LEGO® skulls are in a room of mirrors that move to sound and light. The mirrors give the illusion that the room is endless. Incredible display!
Section 8 – Immersive Display, Larger than life
The first of the 2 immersive galleries, Larger than life has floating sculptures and a giant ‘Big Swimmer’ made of only blue LEGO® pieces that is almost 10 metres long, and made with over 110,000 bricks.
It’s well and truly a labour of love, and no doubt, a lot of time. This huge gallery also has projections all over the walls of colourful bricks falling and floating!
Section 9 – Immersive Display, Perniciem
The second large immersive gallery is my favourite. Perniciem displays 19 rare and endangered animals across a huge room. In the middle, sheer curtains surround a display of water animals.
The projections all around the room go from a forest to an underwater wonderland, making the shimmering curtains shine like waves and almost trick your eyes making you think the sculptures come alive.
Bean bags are scattered around the room where you can relax and enjoy this amazing display.
Section 10 – Brick Sculptures
The final sculpture room focuses on the endangered white rhinos, which 4 representations of the animal in various stages.
Section 11 – Merchandise, Gift Shop and Children’s Play Area
This is the final room where kids can play with LEGO® and larger bricks and do some other LEGO®-themed activities (more details below in the FAQ section).
Don’t miss the full size Pac-Man arcade game, entirely made of LEGO® which totally looked like the real thing. The only thing that gave it away was the big DO NOT TOUCH sign at the top!
There is merchandise from the exhibit here as well as LEGO® sets to purchase in this area before you head for the exit.
FAQ
How long does it take to Visit the Art of the Brick?
It took us around 45 minutes to move through all the displays but you can stay as long as you want. We spent around d 15-20 mins in the last section where the kids could play.
How much does entry Cost to Art of the Brick?
Prices starting from AUD 33.90 per Adult & AUD 23.90 per Child. Kids under 4 are FREE and do not require a ticket.
Where can I get tickets for Art of the Brick?
Tickets can be purchased online on the Art of the Brick website via Fever.
Where is the Art of the Brick exhibit?
Art of the Brick in Melbourne is currently on display at the Melbourne Showgrounds (Epsom Road, Ascot Vale). Enter via Gate 5, on Langs Road. Paid parking is available onsite.
When does Art of the Brick exhibit close?
Art of the Brick Melbourne is ending on September 1, 2024.
Who is Art of the Brick best suited for?
All LEGO® lovers, of any age will appreciate the incredible sculptures, as well as the exhibition’s immersive displays with lights and sounds.
Is Art of the Brick Suitable for young children?
Yes! This exhibit is suitable for all ages to enjoy. Entry is Free for children under 4. Please note that the displays in the galleries cannot be touched. There are although plenty of LEGO® bricks to play with in the final room.
Alongside the merchandise shop, there is a (small) play area with lots of LEGO® and larger bricks to play with. There is also a colouring area to scan to the wall and make the drawing appear in the ‘art gallery’ and LEGO®-themed videogames that you can play with.
Plenty of merchandise from the exhibit and LEGO® sets also for sale (although a bit pricey) here too.
Is Art of the Brick worth a visit?
My answer is a resounding YES! Having seen some of the LEGO® exhibits that have come to Melbourne in recent years (Jurassic World by Brickman, Bricktionary & Relics: A New World Rises) this is the most impressive because of the immersive galleries and the sheer size of some of the displays.
Want to read more?
Thank you for reading my Art of the Brick Melbourne Review! More review posts coming soon on things to do in Melbourne with kids!
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