The beauty of LEGOs is they can spark creativity and provide countless hours of fun to both children and adults. And in some instances, they can be a tool used for creating impressive pieces of art.
Ekow Nimako is a Toronto-based artist who primarily uses LEGOs in his art practice. Employing thousands upon thousands of black LEGOs, Nimako builds astonishing futuristic cityscapes and large scale sculptures and masks.
Nimako’s works deal with various complex themes and are influenced by Afrofuturism and the experiences of African people and African Americans. As a result, his creations don’t fall in the same category as other LEGO art.
“This is fine art. It’s not a hobby, it’s not a toy, it’s not part of the Lego fandom, it’s not goofy,” Nimako shared in a recent chat with CNN. “It doesn’t fall into a lot of categories that Lego creations fall into.”
The main reason why Nimako opted to use black LEGOs instead of some other color is because they are “unequivocally Black.” However, it also helps that the black LEGOs are most common and have the most variety.
The rest of the art world also views Nimako’s creations as fine art. His sculptures have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world while some are even part of private art collections. Check more of them below.
