Pro nano-brick artist builds path to success, brick by brick

Christopher Tan, the man behind the largest nano block structure in the world – a miniature version of Brazilian city, Rio de Janeiro, made up of 250,000 bricks, made for an exhibition in Hong Kong. – Pic by Christopher Tan, February 24, 2016.At 40 years old, Christopher Tan is living the ultimate dream of every young child who has ever played with Lego bricks.

The ex-software architect is Malaysia’s first, and one of the world’s only, professional nano-brick artists – an adult way of saying he builds Lego structures for a living, except that he uses really tiny bricks.

Tan first came across nanoblocks, a brand manufactured by Japanese company Kawada, in 2011 and was immediately drawn to the micro-sized bricks measuring as small as 4x4x5mm.

"I thought it was cool because it was so tiny, so I picked it up from there. I started buying more nano blocks and building my own designs," he said at a recent interview with The Malaysian Insider.

Tan has not looked back since assembling his first nano-brick figurine, a panda bear.

He soon began designing his own structures and figurines, and quit his job as a software architect two years ago to become a full-time nano-brick designer. Today, he has garnered a social media fanbase of over 52,000 followings on Facebook.

"My process is very similar to how a sculptor might sculpt something out of wood or clay. We just work with different kinds of limitations," said Tan of the detail and element of design that go into his structures.

Apart from pop culture, Tan is also inspired by architectural structures. – Pic by Christopher Tan, February 24, 2016.His brick sculptures are primarily inspired by pop culture and architecture, featuring anything from Star Wars characters to The Great Wall of China.

The Kuala Lumpur lad has also received several awards of excellence and the "Tatsujin – Master of nanoblock" accolade from Kawada itself.

He has also taken part in several exhibitions in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, where he designed and built the world's largest nano block structure – a miniature replica of Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro, made up of 250,000 blocks.

The massive structure was built with the help of over 20 volunteers, and took about 60 hours over five days to complete.

Tan is the first non-Japanese to collaborate with nanoblock, bringing fans a Japanese food series. – Pic by Christopher Tan, February 24, 2016.Most recently, Tan also became the first non-Japanese to collaborate with nanoblock to design a four-part Japanese food series which includes sushi, temaki (handroll), bento (lunchbox) and ramen.

He attributes his success to hard work and passion, adding that an increasing number of Malaysian adults are getting into the nano-brick trend.

"It takes adults back to a time in their childhood where they just get to relax and de-stress and enjoy something that they like.

"But it still presents a challenge and a sense of accomplishment," he said.

With a growing list of corporate clients, Tan, who now single-handedly runs his nano-brick business, hopes to expand it into a full-fledged design and consultancy agency.

Also in the works is a line of Asian-inspired designs he is attempting to make commercially available.

Until then, anyone who wants to dabble in nano-brick building can find Tan and nanoblock's Japanese Food series at Kinokuniya, Aeon, Toys 'R' Us, Hamleys Popular, Isetan and more.

To see more of Tan's designs, log on to www.facebook.com/christan or www.christan.design. – February 24, 2016.