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On September 23, LEGO House is welcoming brand-new fan-build LEGO models to their Masterpiece Gallery. Ever since the opening of LEGO House in 2017, a distinguished group of LEGO enthusiasts, known as AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO), have been invited to display their specially curated LEGO builds in the Masterpiece Gallery, and this year is certainly no different. The exhibition will feature 15 creators from countries on four continents, presenting their remarkable LEGO creations from a wearable bridal gown to an intriguing LEGO self-portrait.
Starting from the September 23 and continuing for a year, visitors to LEGO House will have the opportunity to experience the all-new exhibit, featuring distinctive fan-builds crafted by 15 AFOL artists, who have been hand-picked to exhibit in the coveted gallery at LEGO House in Billund. Here, the entire top floor is dedicated precisely to showcase this group of talented builders with their creations challenging the perception of what can be built with LEGO bricks.
Kathrine Kirk Muff, Managing Director at LEGO House is looking forward to welcoming the new exhibitors and their builds, hoping that they will inspire people from all over the world to create amazing LEGO builds limited only by your imagination:
We’re truly thrilled to welcome this year’s collection of creations from LEGO fans hailing from all over the world. Every creation carries a story, and a great deal of thought and time has been invested in these builds. We look forward to welcome visitors to the home of the LEGO brick, experiencing the exhibition firsthand, and hopefully leaving with lots of inspiration to persist in their building endeavors and venture into uncharted techniques, says Kathrine Kirk Muff.
Builds from a Wedding Dress to Fairytale Wonderland
The 15 LEGO exhibitors personally transport their sometimes quite delicate models to Billund and actively participate in their installation within the exhibition showcases, ensuring they are presented exactly as intended.
One of the AFOL artist is Veronica Young from Australia. She has been an AFOL for 12 years and is showcasing a LEGO Wedding Dress. The creation took her over 6 months to build and features more than 2,000 white flowers, along with numerous limb elements.
The dress is entirely free of glue, maintaining its flexibility. I had to rebuild it approximately four or five times to ensure a perfectly straight line down the middle. A funny detail about the build is that back in January 2023, during Brickvention in Australia, I convinced Fleur Watkins, a contestant from Season 3 of LEGO Masters Australia, to try it on. Fleur wore the dress for about an hour around the exhibition, adding an exciting twist to the already remarkable display, says Veronica Young.
Another artist contributing to the Masterpiece Gallery is Yuansheng He from China. While he works as an interior designer, he finds that working with LEGO bricks offers him endless creative freedom.
Yuansheng is enriching the Masterpiece Gallery with four mind-bending builds. Among them, ‘Building Myself Out of LEGO’, showcasing four versions of himself, each intricately nested in the other like a matryoshka doll, with each figure building the next one in line.
Gayle Spiller from the United Kingdom draws her inspiration from films, artwork, peculiar concepts, and the work of other skilled LEGO artists. Her journey with LEGO bricks began alongside her son, as they built together and made regular visits to LEGOLAND in Denmark.
Although her son eventually outgrew the LEGO hobby, Gayle’s passion endured, leading her to embark on creating her own whimsical LEGO creations. As an AFOL, she has been nurturing her love for the colorful bricks for an impressive 15 years.
Among her exhibited builds in the Masterpiece Gallery is “Down the Rabbit Hole”, deeply influenced by her deep admiration for the artwork of classic fairytale of Alice in Wonderland.
600 AFOLs gathering at exclusive event
For LEGO fans, a visit to LEGO House in Billund is an essential bucket-list destination – and almost a pilgrimage. Billund stands as the epitome of LEGO play, and a place where enthusiasts can immerse themselves in a world of bricks and creativity.
On September 21, an exhilarating AFOL event for 600 AFOLs is set to take place, providing a full day with diverse experience zones and the opportunity to connect and network with fellow AFOLs, fostering a sense of community among like-minded LEGO enthusiasts. Attendees will be among the first to immerse themselves in this year’s edition of the Masterpiece Gallery and tickets for the event have already sold out. LEGO House anticipates AFOL guests from countries like United States, Australia and Portugal.
Exhibitors at the Masterpiece Gallery:
Bruce Cheng, China
Eric Law, United States
Gayle Spiller, United Kingdom
Joe Lam, Hong Kong
Kelly Bartlett, United States
Loïc Brun, France
Luca Petraglia, Italy
Mike Sinclair, Canada
Ralf Langer, Germany
Rickard Stensby, Sweden
Veronica Young, Australia
Yeonghun Jo, South Korea
Yuansheng He, China
Zachary Steinman, Canada,
Jakob Escher, Germany .
The exhibition in the Masterpiece Gallery will be accessible to the public from September 23, 2023.
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