Tiny Bricks, Big Fun

Nathan Sawaya's LEGO creations levitate into the eerie and the supernatural

Comments (0) By Michael Mills Thursday, Jun 19 2008

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Put your face on, LEGOman.

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"Nathan Sawaya: The Art of the Brick," "Child's Play," and "Damian Rojo: Feeling Small"On display through June 22 ("Feeling Small"), July 30 ("Child's Play"), and August 10 ("The Art of the Brick") at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, 1650 Harrison St., Hollywood; call 954-921-3274.

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At the opposite end of the long, narrow, adjacent gallery, you'll find equally witty work by Venessa Monokian. Her Snake and Draw are two bits of stop-motion animation run on a DVD loop on a tiny monitor and feature lively performances by such things as a light bulb, a pencil sharpener, and a field of nails. One film also includes a little contraption that appears to have been fashioned from the spray button of an aerosol can and pieces of wire, and it dances around like some sort of demented insect, the likes of which also put in appearances in a suite of five C-prints by the same artist. It's clever, if faintly disturbing, stuff.

For more seriously disturbing effects, step into the center's Project Room, which is currently (at least through June 22, so hurry) home to "Damian Rojo: Feeling Small," a sound-and-video installation using multiple monitors. Its centerpiece is a strobe-like projection that emanates from the rear of the space and passes through several sheer curtains. Set to a rumbling drone of electronic sounds, it's eerily hypnotic and disorienting at the same time. Taken together with "The Art of the Brick" and "Child's Play," it's a reminder that at its best, the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood continues to please and surprise.