When Henry Moyerman visited the Missouri Botanical Garden as a kid, he didn’t take photos of trees or flowers. Instead, he’d lie on the ground to capture photos of benches, focusing on the leading lines that ran along their sides.
Moyerman also recalls visiting Legoland in California when he was nine years old. There, he got a book that introduced him to how Lego could be an artistic medium.
“It just blew my mind, especially one particular work that was seven feet tall and it was all blue, and it was this beautiful, minimalistic work,” he said. “As a nine year old, I just felt this craving to have as many Lego bricks as possible of the same size and the same color.”
Twenty-five years later, Moyerman still has that book. And his winding path has led to combining his early passions — photography and building with Lego bricks.
That work is now on display in a new exhibit, “Built Over Time,” at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild through October 18. The show includes some of Moyerman’s early Lego creations and it features large-scale photographs that make his small sculptures appear monumental.
One piece in the exhibit, “Green Columns,” is made entirely of two-by-four green Lego bricks. “That was the very first photo I even made in this series,” Moyerman said. “I thought it would come out very abstract, but instead it came out very architectural. And I realized that what I was really after was mimicking real life architecture, but in a sort of still-abstract and surreal way.”
Moyerman said he intentionally obscures Lego logos so that viewers aren’t quite sure what they’re seeing. The trick, he explained, is getting the lighting and perspective just right.
At the opening reception earlier this month, Moyerman said he loved hearing people ask the same question: “How did you do that?”
“That adds a layer of engagement to the art,” he said.
To hear more about how Henry Moyerman photographs small Lego sculptures to make them appear monumental, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
Related Event
What: Built Over Time
When: Through Oct. 18
Where: St. Louis Artists’ Guild, 12 Jackson Ave., Clayton, MO 63105
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Darrious Varner is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
