More than 20 years ago, Sean Kenney abandoned his path as a cartoonist and graphic designer in favor of something a little more whimsical: LEGO art. Since this creative shift, Kenney has produced countless installations, children’s books, and exhibitions, all while working with some of the world’s most prominent corporations, TV shows, department stores, and celebrities. Now, the artist has teamed up with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS) on an innovative show centered around his LEGO sculptures.
Aptly titled Brick Planet, Kenney’s latest exhibition takes children and adults alike on a journey through our natural world. Brick Planet gathers works built from a total of over 1.5 million LEGO bricks, each organized into thematic categories. “Our Planet,” for instance, highlights unexpected ecosystems, complete with an enormous Galápagos tortoise, monarch butterfly, peacock, and even an extinct dodo bird. “Ocean Odyssey,” on the other hand, dives into a vibrant coral reef, swarming with schools of fish and baby sea turtles. Perhaps most immersive of all is the “Walk in the Woods” section, in which Kenney has reimagined an entire forest vista. Here, visitors can encounter deer, snakes, spiders, mice, and a “brickified” forest view through so-called “Sean-oculars.”
Biodiversity is at the core of the exhibition, as evidenced by the breadth of featured environments. Far-flung locations like the Arctic and Kenyan savannas coexist with more familiar scenes, including our own backyards. This specific gallery encompasses creatures like butterflies, caterpillars, and bees, all of which are seemingly mundane but still essential to thriving ecosystems. Alongside these pollinators are sculptures of gardeners, underscoring how food is grown within gardens. The goal of this section, per the museum, is to “remind visitors that their backyard is connected to the broader world.”
But, as its title suggests, Brick Planet would be incomplete without an exploration of our cities—after all, urban environments are an enormous part of our world. In “Connect in the City,” sculptures of such iconic landmarks as the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower appear alongside infographics about urban design. Kenney even created a sprawling replica of Times Square, buzzing with cars, pedestrians, towering skyscrapers, and vibrant billboards (one of which features a Les Misérables advertisement).
To enhance the exhibition’s interactivity, activities and other experiences are interspersed throughout Brick Planet. In “Polar Brrrricks,” guests are challenged to waddle like penguins and explore an interactive display to discover unique adaptations that animals in the Arctic and Antarctic use to survive. For “Ocean Odyssey,” the museum encourages active engagement, allowing visitors to build their own underwater coral sea life with LEGO bricks.
“From emperor penguins to a praying mantis and colorful coral reefs, the exhibition offers a fantastic window into how organisms live and work together through symbiosis—and it does so in a way that’s engaging and fun for all ages,” says Bridget Chalifour, the exhibition’s curator.
Brick Planet: A Magical Journey Made with Lego Bricks is currently on view at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science through May 3, 2026. To learn more about the exhibition, visit the DMNS website.
In his latest exhibition, LEGO artist Sean Kenney invites children on a fascinating journey through our natural world.
Brick Planet is now on view through May 3, 2026, at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
