Video by Tom Compagnoni
Everyone has their different ways of winding down after a tough day at work. For some, it's exercise.
For others, it might be a cold beer or a glass of wine. For Nathan Sawaya, a former corporate lawyer, it was LEGO.
"I would come home from a long day of practicing law and I would want some sort of outlet," Sawaya told The Huffington Post Australia. "Some people to go the gym at the end of the day. For me, I needed to create something."
And create he did. Sawaya became so good at creating different sculptures with LEGO, in fact, he now does it full-time, and his latest exhibition -- a one-of-a-kind partnership between Sawaya, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment -- has brought to life more than 120 works of art -- each inspired from the legendary heroes and villains of DC Comics.
That's right -- Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Joker, and many more -- all embodied in large-scale LEGO form. Better yet, Australians will be the first ones in the world with the opportunity to see them, at Sawaya's exhibition "The Art of The Brick: DC Comics" being held exclusively at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum.
"I think LEGO is universal," Sawaya said. "I have multiple exhibitions that are touring the globe, and the great thing is, wherever we go, people know LEGO. They've played with LEGO. And that's what makes the art so accessible.
"Because there's this familiarity with LEGO as a toy, and then when they see the art, they connect with it almost on a different level."
Sawaya teamed up with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment after ruminating on ideas for his latest exhibition.
"I was really thinking about themes of good and evil and really exploring heroes and villains, and that lead me to comic books," Sawaya told Huffpost Australia. "And what better place to turn than DC Comics, with the world's greatest superheroes?
"I mean, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman -- these are the characters I watched on [American animated television series] 'Super Friends' when I was a kid.
"So these were my favourite characters and it was a great opportunity to work with DC Comics and reinterpret these characters in a new way. Not just out of LEGO brick but in an artistic way, and that was really fun for me, so I took on the challenge and just went with it."
"The Art of The Brick: DC Comics" kicks off at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum on Saturday, 21 November. Book your ticket here.