Actor Samira Wiley’s unique personal story is being brought to life in an epic LEGO portrait this Pride Month

The LEGO Group has collaborated with the award-winning actor and producer to celebrate the power of creative self-expression within the LGBTQIA+ community with a 41,000-brick self-portrait. 

“Celebrating who we are and all the pieces that make you, you, is so important, and as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, I know the value of embracing the opportunity to be proud,” says Wiley. “It was a joy to create this portrait because I had the chance to do that in a creative and playful way. As an actor, I’m always sitting down and analyzing other people’s identities to work out how I make them my own in a role, but I don’t always do that for myself. The process of creating this portrait allowed me to see myself through other people’s eyes and that felt really inspiring and rewarding. Play is such an important part of creative self-expression – it allows us to explore and share who we are, and to be proud of who we are.”

Each part of the portrait is a meaningful symbol. | Source: LEGO

The giant 5-ft portrait took 200 hours to build and included three hour-long creative sessions with Wiley where she shared her stories and anecdotes. The finished work of art includes personal references to her family, the importance of creative experimentation, and two Adinkra symbols that Wiley has as tattoos to honor her West African heritage. 

The first symbol, Nsoromma, means “Child of the heavens” and marks her deep gratitude to her ancestors. The second symbol, Okodee Mmowere, is the Adinkra symbol for courage and bravery, and has been placed over her heart in the portrait to represent living authentically and being a role model to help others do the same. The rainbow glow surrounding Wiley’s face symbolizes her personal mission to bring visibility to the marginalized groups she identifies as being part of.

Related: Toy and Game Makers Celebrate Pride Month

Unveiled in Rolling Stone magazine during Pride Month, Wiley’s portrait launches Pieces of Me, an open invitation for members and allies of the LGBTQIA+ community to build a self-portrait that captures the pieces of themselves they are most proud of. 

Wiley’s Pieces of Me portrait will be on display from June 8 to August 23 in the LEGO Masterpiece Gallery at LEGO House in Billund, Denmark. Read the full Rolling Stone article to learn more about the stories behind this build. ​

About the author

Maggie Dougherty

Maggie Dougherty

Maggie Dougherty is an editorial intern at Adventure Media & Events. She is a senior at Iona University in New Rochelle, New York, where she studies digital media and production. In her free time, Maggie can be found watching Conan O’Brien videos on YouTube, reading biographies of Lyndon B. Johnson, or listening to the Succession soundtrack.

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