In Lego, We Connect Photography Exhibition

Through the lens of Vesa Lehtimäki (Helsinki), Shelly Corbett (Seattle) and Boris Vanrillaer (Stockholm) The Bryan Ohno Gallery presents the highly anticipated art exhibit of LEGO toy photography by Vesa Lehtimäki (Finland), Shelly Corbett (Seattle) and Boris Vanrillaer (Sweden). Their macro lens captures carefully created and unexpected scenes combining nature and Lego figures. Theirs is a magical and fanciful landscape of imagination realized in large-scale photo art. The exhibit opens March 5 and runs through April 11, 2015. Vesa Lehtimäki and Boris Vanrillaer, both based in Europe, will join Shelly Corbett in Seattle for the opening reception. Exhibition Dates: March 5 ~ April 11, 2015 Exhibition Title: In Lego, We Connect, Through the lens of: Vesa Lehtimäki (@Avanaut) Shelly Corbett (@xxSJC) Boris Vanrillaer (@_Me2_) Press Preview: Wednesday, March 4, 2-5pm, Bryan Ohno Gallery Artist Reception: Thursday, March 5, 6-8pm Bryan Ohno Gallery Artist Talk: Saturday, March 7, 11am - Noon Bryan Ohno Gallery Out Door Event: Saturday, March 7, 2 - 5pm Toy Photography Walk at Olympic Sculpture Park www.bryanohno.com i@bryanohno.com 206-459-6857 LEGO has become a ubiquitous craft for both gender and all ages from its origin as children's toy. “Play Well” (leg godt in Danish, where it was conceived in the 1940’s), was already a global language before the toys began to sweep the planet 40 years later. Photographers Lehtimäki, Corbett, and Vanrillaer (more affectionately known by their handles of @Avanaut, @xxSJC and @_Me2_ within the geek world and on social media) each rediscovered the wonders of this toy through their own children. Combined with their professional photography career, the simple parent/child exchange soon evolved into theatrical stage settings with often nature as the backdrop. Ironically, the child became the teacher, giving the parent the permission to once again be curious. Pablo Picasso once famously said, “All children are born artists, the problems is how to remain one once they grow up.” This truly resonates here in their method of practice. In LEGO, We Connect poses the question of the relationship between nature and plastic. “Can the two co-exist? Can plastic have an enduring place in the human narrative?” Artist Italo Scanga once said, “Plastic has no history. Without history, echoes of humanity can’t be heard.” However, through the hands and eyes of these artists, it starts to tell a narrative that at one-time never existed. Describing how unwieldy nature can be when placing these tiny plastic objects outdoors, Corbett says, “Once you are in the woods, things just don’t work perfectly as snapping two bricks together. Wind knocks over the figure, rain gets the camera wet and the changing natural light provides only a small window to capture a perfect moment.” After thousands of takes and painstaking trial and error by each artist, only the best, hand-selected shots will be featured in this perfect Seattle gallery setting, providing an opportunity for visitors to reconnect with their own memories and imagination. Gallery Director, Bryan Ohno gallery Disclaimer: This exhibit is in no shape or form of endorsing the LEGO corporation nor receiving any funding from them. It is an exhibit purely in response by the highly accomplished artists taking this medium to make an artistic statement. This would be in no difference in the artistic license of re-interpreting everyday objets or human celebrities like Andy Warhol who took celebrity images and re-imagined them through his giant silkscreens of wonderful colors. About the gallery: The Bryan Ohno Gallery features works that blur the line between art and science, challenge art traditions, and embrace evolving cultural intersections. #ohnolego