Love LEGO®? This viral art exhibition combines discarded objects with the iconic plastic bricks

Posted on 16 June, 2026

A refrigerator becomes a cryogenic wellness resort. A Volkswagen Beetle powers an underground energy revolution. A grandfather clock becomes a time machine.

Across more than 15 large-scale installations, RELICS: A New World Rises blends sculpture, design, storytelling and nostalgia to create an unmissable exhibition that appeals to LEGO® lovers of all ages.

And it’s coming to Canberra.

Already seen by more than half a million people across Australia and New Zealand, the record-breaking miniature worlds exhibition is coming to Canberra Museum + Gallery (CMAG) from 19 September 2026 to 31 January 2027, marking the final Australian stop before the exhibition heads to the United States.

The brainchild of Perth duo Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler – who you might remember as the winners of Channel 9’s reality competition show LEGO® Masters in 2020 – the exhibition came about when they were commissioned by WA arts organisation FORM to create an exhibition at The Goods Shed gallery in Perth.

The childhood friends were presented with a totally blank canvas and were thrilled by the opportunity. But as they began to plan what would become a fully immersive art experience, they never expected that it would become the most successful ticketed show at the South Australian Museum in all its 167-year history.

“When we walked into the space, we were really struck by how interesting it was. It was an old freight unloading train station, an industrial-style building that was quite big, and cavernous…straight away, we realised we probably couldn’t fill the space with just LEGO®,” explains Alex.

“We started playing with the idea of mixing it with old objects, and from there the narrative grew and the ideas came pretty quickly.”

Telling the story of a world long abandoned by humans after mass-consumption led to an exhaustion of all its natural resources, RELICS: A New World Rises features a series of discarded objects blossoming with LEGO® civilisations. It explores an imagined future – although one that might not be as far removed as we might think.

“LEGO® has this incredible storytelling opportunity. So rather than limiting ourselves to the micro scale of LEGO®, we wanted to create more of a sense of stepping into a world,” explains Jackson.

“That was the world we wanted to bring people into…where we end up if we don’t change some of our behaviours, particularly around recycling and reuse of materials and mass production of consumer goods.”

Alex and Jackson are constantly adding new elements to RELICS: A New World Rises, constantly building and updating the exhibition. And while Alex admits that they really built it for themselves, it’s something all ages will enjoy.

“Kids love it because it’s colourful and playful, and the LEGO® is really engaging in its own sense, but the nostalgia that the older objects bring and the depth of the storytelling that we tried to weave into it really appeals to the older audiences too,” he says.

“We’ve had these great moments of intergenerational connection. We have a jukebox from the ‘40s, and watching grandparents explain to their grandkids what a jukebox is, and how they used to stand around it, and listen to it, and the sort of stunned, confused looks on the kids’ faces – the exhibition is full of moments like that.”

Attendees are also invited to imagine their own future world.

During its run at CMAG, the RELICS Design Competition will challenge entrants to create a miniature brick civilisation inside an everyday, used or second-hand object, inspired by Canberra and the surrounding region.

Open to children, teenagers and adults, the competition invites participants to transform familiar objects – everything from lunchboxes and shoes to old radios and teapots – into inventive worlds of survival, creativity and reuse. Shortlisted entries will be displayed at CMAG for the duration of the exhibition, with winners announced by Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler on opening day.

For those interested in learning more about RELICS: A New World Rises, there will also be additional program highlights.

Inside RELICS: Preview with the Creators will take place on Friday 18 September, including drinks, canapés, an illustrated talk, Q&A and exclusive exhibition access, while Inside RELICS: Meet the Creators on Sunday 20 September will see Jackson and Alex discussing the exhibition, their creative process and LEGO® Masters journey.

The pre-sale waitlist opens on Tuesday 16 June, with waitlist members receiving exclusive access to pre-sale tickets for both the exhibition and associated programs from Wednesday 29 July to Wednesday 5 August – including a 10 per cent discount in the CMAG store and a free paint-your-own mini figurine experience during their exhibition visit.

Described as “the love child between an antique shop, The LEGO® Movie, and Blade Runner” and made with at least 2,500 mini-figures, the macro story of the exhibition is mesmerising. But it’s the micro moments that make it so inspiring.

“When people walk out the door, there’s a couple of things that we hope that they take away with them,” says Jackson.

“If nothing else, at least, just to be creatively inspired, to feel empowered to go and try and connect with that sense of creativity and play in their own lives.”

“But for audience members who do engage with some of those deeper themes around sustainability and consumerism, we really hope that it prompts people – if they haven’t already – to reposition their thoughts around how we use, reuse, recycle, and throw away all the stuff that we’re mass producing.”

The RELICS waitlist is now open – register for first access to the best exhibition and events tickets, in-store discounts and a free ‘paint your own mini figurine’ when you visit.

Images supplied.