Nathan Sawaya, the man who gets to build LEGO for a living

FOR most the chance to build LEGO for a living is a childhood dream but one man has made it reality and he is bringing his life-sized sculptures Down Under.

THE ART OF BRICK EXHIBITION .. LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: Artist Nathan Sawaya stands with his sculpture 'Yellow' at the Art of Brick Exhibition on September 24, 2014 in London, England. Eighty sculptures by artist Nathan Sawaya are on display at The Old Truman Brewery. Created from a million Lego bricks, the exhibition opens on September 26, 2014 and runs until January 4, 2015. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

NATHAN Sawaya, 41, started playing with LEGO more than ten years ago as a creative outlet to balance his rather dry day job as a corporate lawyer.

The New York-based artist says when he started showing off his LEGO constructions he was overwhelmed by the relationship and nostalgia people had with the building blocks.

Sawaya says he became inundated with letters and photos from children who would want to tell him about what they had built and ask him how they could land his job when they got older.

“When I started out 10 years ago it really was about promoting myself and my work but over the years the main satisfaction I get is from interacting with the kids who love LEGO. When I do a book signing and kids come up with their LEGO structures it inspires me,” he told News Corp Australia.

Nathan Sawaya’s best Lego

Sawaya has created eye-popping sculptures like a 2.1-metre Brooklyn Bridge and a 1.8-metre Hans Solo made completely out of LEGO. These structures comprise around 20,000 LEGO blocks each and take him around three weeks to complete.

Now, Sawaya is set to bring more than 100 new artworks, including a large-scale LEGO Batmobile, to Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum in November as he kicks off a multi-year world tour in a partnership with DC Comics.

Incredible ... One of Nathan’s LEGO sculptures entitled 'Computer'. Picture: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

He said his exhibition explores the themes of good and evil that dominate DC Comics favourites like Batman and Superman.

“With this exhibition I want to not only inspire the artist within but also the hero within,” he said.

For those of us who have engaged in the fraught exercise of transporting LEGO structures from one room of the house to another it begs the question how is Sawaya planning to move his life-size sculptures with such ease?

“I have learnt a few secrets the hard way over the years. The best tip is lots of glue,” he said.

Trade, Tourism and Major Events Minister Stuart Ayres said: “The Art of The Brick is the most successful LEGO brick exhibition series of all time, and Nathan Sawaya is known world-wide for his awe-inspiring LEGO brick creations.

“This exhibition will appeal to visitors of all ages with its recreations of heroes and villains including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and The Joker.

Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Director, Rose Hiscock added: “The Art of the Brick: DC Comics continues the Powerhouse Museum’s strong tradition of exploring contemporary culture through art and design and we can’t wait for the doors to open.”

The exhibition runs from November 2015 to May 2016

Originally published as Nathan Sawaya, the man who gets to build LEGO for a living