Lego is more than just a popular line of toys for kids - it's also an art form.
A 5m Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton made from 80000 Lego blocks is among toys to be displayed at an international exhibition that opens in Cape Town today.
The Art of Brick Exhibition, by acclaimed New York-based artist Nathan Sawaya, has been voted one of the world's top 10 must-see exhibitions by CNN.
It also features multiple realistic human forms of celebrated artworks, such as Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo statue.
Sawaya, who gave up a legal career to follow art, said yesterday that using Lego was a way to make his art more accessible.
"People can relate to the art on a different level because it is made out of a child's toy that so many people are familiar with," Sawaya said.
"I want to captivate and inspire South Africans with my art ... I have learned over the years that art is not optional and I hope to encourage folks to create a little art on their own."
Asked if he had a favourite sculpture, he said:". The next one. The next sculpture I will be working on is always the one I am most excited about."
Expo SA CEO Marius Basson said 76 Lego sculptures would be on display at the exhibition at the V&A Waterfront.
The show runs until the end of February before moving to Johannesburg.
"A local twist to the collection is the Big Five, which has been constructed specifically for the South African exhibitions," Basson said.
The Lego sculptures were shipped ready built into the country - except for the dinosaur, which came in three crates and had to be reassembled on arrival.
The exhibit has already toured cities in the US, Australia, Asia and Europe.
"Yellow", a sculpture of a yellow man tearing open his chest, spilling yellow Lego bricks, is the artist's best-known piece. It is made out of about 11000 blocks.
Among his creations is a real life-size cello made out of 7695 blocks to inspire children to explore music.
"But don't try to play it, it may look like a cello but it only plays the Lego tune," said Sawaya.
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