New exhibition at the Australian Museum features LEGO with a lesson

• A new exhibit called Relics: A New World Rises opens at the Australian Museum on Saturday, August 16.
• It features 14 immersive displays created by the 2020 LEGO^® Masters winners, Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler.
• The displays combine vintage objects with intricate worlds built from LEGO^®.

The word ‘LEGO’ stirs a wave of nostalgia in adults and sparks pure excitement in children. The yellow figurines are arguably the most iconic toys in the world, capturing imaginations for over 90 years. Now, the Australian Museum is tapping into our shared love for LEGO with its brand new exhibition.

What’s it all about?

Relics: A New World Rises is a creative and humorous exhibition with an underlying message that addresses important themes. Combining the fun of LEGO with “more mature and contemporary themes”, the exhibit explores the consequences of our consumerist actions by housing the figurines in dilapidated cars, old furniture and even a broken down jetski.

The LEGO-verse is set inside an imaginary future (2130 to be exact) where humans continued abusing the planet. Although the LEGO world is fun and colourful, it’s built on the remains of human rubbish and waste.

From a vintage fridge holding cryogenically frozen figurines (who are hoping to escape the impact of climate change) to a beaten-up Volkswagen Beetle hosting motor-headed citizens, the exhibit is quirky and creative.

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The creation of Relics

Creators Alex Towler and Jackson Harvey, who won the LEGO^® Masters show, began expanding on the concept in 2020. When the Perth arts organisation FORM invited them to take part in the Scribblers Festival of writing and storytelling, they were given free rein to create an exhibition in the gallery space. Their canvas? A rustic former goods shed, transformed into a contemporary art gallery. They spoke on the experience, stating,

“The space was beautifully weathered, brimming with character and full of its own stories, and the creative constraints placed on us, such as the size of the building and the rustic architecture, contributed to the development of the core concept behind the Relics exhibit.”

For its Sydney run, the Australian Museum gave Jackson and Alex actual pieces of the museum’s furniture, inviting them to weave their LEGO civilisation into the fabric of the museum’s own history. The museum sent an insect specimen drawer over to the duo’s workshop in Perth, which inspired the idea for a new display, one where the LEGO figures have created a Museum of Manufactured History, holding trinkets that humans left behind.

Although the Australian Museum is the fifth venue that Relics has been displayed at, Jackson expressed how exciting it was for the duo.

“We’re super excited to be there at the Australian Museum, I mean, it’s the biggest museum in Australia, so it’s a big deal for us”.

Though they were still adding the finishing touches when we visited, the exhibition was practically complete, which is impressive, considering they had just two weeks to assemble it.

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For all ages

The creators of Relics emphasised that the exhibit is for all ages, not just children.

The exhibit caters to all ages, using the mini figurines to create educational art that appeals to all ages. The commentary on society may even go over youngsters’ heads, for example, one of the Relics from human times was an advertisement from “ConBank”, advertising an 80-year home loan package. It’s these witty touches that make the display fun for all ages.

Another exciting part of the exhibit is the sheer number of figurines that populate it. There’s always more to see, whether you look closely at the jet ski and see a fisherman with a tyre on his rod, or look at the civilisation that lives within a typewriter, working for the publication Post-Human Time.

If you’re looking for a rainy day activity to keep your kids entertained, while offering something for adults too, Relics is the perfect destination.

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Relics: A New World Rises

Where: The Australian Museum, 1 William St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010.
When: Runs Saturday, August 14, until early 2026.
Price: Adult tickets cost $29, Children tickets cost $19, Children aged 3 and younger go free.