Lego art from the NaturePOP! exhibit at Mounts Botanical Garden.
Photo by Sean Kenney.
Mounts Botanical Garden is featuring wildlife depicted in Legos in artist Sean Kenney’s traveling exhibition “Nature POP!” through May 1.
“They’re just so intrinsically fun and whimsical,” Kenney said about Legos. “I think they reflect my personality well. I am structured and organized and logical, but I am also rather silly and love to laugh. … Art doesn’t have to be so serious all the time.”
Produced by Image Exhibitions, “Nature POP!” invites the community to enjoy a display of complicated and unique connections through Lego blocks that represent the complex connections that exist within nature. The exhibit offers more than 40 sculptures made from over 800,000 Lego pieces.
“Just as Lego pieces interconnect, everything in nature is interconnected in a delicate balance,” Kenney said.
Kenney’s pop-art inspiration shows in his vivid colors and graphic style.
The use of a medium usually seen as a children’s toy does not hinder his ability to make sophisticated sculptures. Kenney said for “Nature POP!” his biggest obstacle was not being able to create what he wanted, but producing the colors he wanted. He and his team spent a lot of time experimenting with combinations of Lego colors to see what they could mimic.
“Colors affect each other. For example, putting pink pieces together with gray ones makes the pink look kind of peach,” Kenney said.
Mounts Botanical Garden has carefully and delicately installed the sculptures with beautiful floral arrangements and colored settings throughout the facility.
Photo by Sean Kenney.
Kenney encourages young artists to chase their passions and never give up on their dreams. “Art has to come from within, so do what you are passionate about. Draw, dance, build, whatever,” he said. “I didn’t just wake up one day and build 50,000-piece sculptures. … I’ve gained all my technical building knowledge by simply building over and over all my life. Keep building, and don’t grow up!”
“Nature POP!” is open through May 1, Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free for Mounts members and ranges from $7 to $15 for others. For tickets and more information, click here.
