Explore the future and the past as RELICS rises at the Australian Museum

Sydney, August 9 2025: The Australian Museum’s (AM) much-anticipated exhibition RELICS: A New World Rises is about to open to the public next Saturday 16 August. Created by former LEGO^® Masters champions Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler, this imaginative new exhibition brings intricate LEGO^® civilisations to life inside a series of upcycled vintage objects, with a dash of Minifigure mayhem.

The Australian Museum's RELICS exhibition reimagines the traditional museum experience through an extraordinary display of thousands of LEGO^® pieces that come together to tell multiple interconnected stories. This immersive exhibition weaves together themes of sustainability and futurism with playful, imaginative narratives that challenge visitors to see familiar everyday objects in entirely new ways.

Australian Museum Director and CEO, Kim McKay AO, said RELICS promises visitors of all ages an entirely original, shared experience where everyone has a chance to share their own perspective.

“RELICS invites visitors into a world where the closer you look, the more you see! Not only will it spark conversations about our wasteful world, and the future, but it’s also a fun way to discover the power of creative storytelling. Jackson and Alex’s exhibition combines a heady mix of nostalgia, sustainability and future-facing creativity and it’s unlike anything we’ve exhibited before,” Ms Kim McKay said.

The former LEGO^® Masters champions said RELICS is a passion project the two have worked on for years, and showcases all their insights and ideas when it comes to creative storytelling.

“It’s important to us that every Minifigure we place in the exhibition is telling its own story. We like to put ourselves into the minds of each character … What have they been up to? Are they having a good day? Who are they with? By thinking about their stories, it helps bring the Minifigures to life as they inhabit their RELICS world,” said Alex Towler, RELICS co-creator.

Part art installation, part science fiction, and packed with detail for curious minds of all ages, RELICS transforms now-obsolete everyday objects into vivid miniature worlds. A refrigerator becomes a cryogenic health resort, a typewriter transforms into a newspaper headquarters, and a brand new ‘Museum of Humanity’ will be unveiled in the exhibition, crafted specifically for the Australian Museum. Each is filled with tiny Minifigure stories and offers a glimpse into a strange, imagined future.

“We hope visitors will being thinking about the life material possessions have after they are discarded and encourage people to be more thoughtful about what they throw away. It’s exciting for us to take an object that to most people would look like trash and give it a whole new life,” Jackson Harvey, RELICS co-creator, said.

Set in the year 2130, RELICS imagines Earth in recovery after human abandonment, where nature is returning and LEGO^® societies have emerged from the remains of a consumerist past. RELICS has been touring Australia and New Zealand over the past two years.

Exhibition highlights include:

• 14 large-scale displays combining antique objects with original LEGO^® constructions
• An interactive LEGO^® build zone where visitors can create and display their own models
• Custom scavenger hunts designed for both children and adults

Visitors are encouraged to book early, with strong interest expected across the opening weekend and into the school holidays. Tickets are on sale now at australian.museum.

RELICS is proudly supported by Hotel Partner, Pullman Sydney Hyde Park.

Pullman Sydney Hyde Park is offering accommodation packages for Australian Museum visitors, including tickets to RELICS exhibition, buffet breakfast, overnight accommodation, and an activity pack for children. The hotel is only a three-minute walk from the Australian Museum.

EVENT DETAILS

What: RELICS: A New World Rises exhibition

When: From Saturday 16 August 2025

Where: Australian Museum, 1 William St, Sydney NSW

Exhibition Tickets: Adult: $29.00, Concession: $25.00, Child 4-15: $19.00, Child 0-3: Free

For more information and to book tickets visit Australian Museum

Editors note: Imagery, footage, background information here

Social Media: Facebook: @australianmuseum; Instagram: @australianmuseum; X: @austmus / Hashtags: #AustralianMuseum

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

Matt Fraser, Director of Communications
E: matt@originalspin.com.au
M: 0401 326 007

Timothee Luong, Communications Advisor
E: timothee@originalspin.com.au
M: 0435 715 017

LEGO^® is a trademark of the LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, authorise or endorse this exhibition.

About the Australian Museum

The Australian Museum (AM) was founded in 1827 and is the nation’s first museum. It is internationally recognised as a natural science and culture institution focused on Australia and the Pacific. The AM’s mission is to ignite wonder, inspire debate and drive change. The AM’s vision is to be a leading voice for the richness of life, the Earth and culture in Australia and the Pacific. The AM commits to transforming the conversation around climate change, the environment and wildlife conservation; being a strong advocate for First Nations cultures; and to continuing to develop world leading science, collections, exhibitions and education programs. With more than 22 million objects and specimens and the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI), the AM is not only a dynamic source of reliable scientific information on some of the most pressing environmental and social challenges facing our region, but also an important site of cultural exchange and learning.