PICTURE this. You're a celebrated, young British artist and your work can be seen in celebrity homes and world-famous galleries. It leaves the critics swooning and the public scratching their heads.
What do you do, then, when you find yourself and your work immortalised in Lego - the multi-coloured kiddie bricks?
Luminaries of the modern art world - such as Gilbert and George, Damien Hirst and Chris Ofili - are finding that they have more than one thing in common.
As well as grabbing headlines for animals in formaldehyde, portraits with dried elephant dung and taboo-breaking images, they have inspired John Cake and Darren Neave. And the Little Artists, as they call themselves, are poised to hit the big time.
They are on the shortlist for the Comme Ca Art Prize North - the region's answer to the Turner Prize - which is launched today.
The new, annual prize of £10,000 for contemporary work brings the art, artists and galleries from the north to a wider audience.
Chris Ofili
Patron for the Comme Ca Art Prize is Chris Ofili, the Manchester artist who won the Turner Prize in 1998. His art also appears in the Little Artists' work along with other images of famous works.
Their portfolio includes cheeky and colourful appropriations of Hirst's Shark Tank, Dali's Lobster Phone and Rachel Whiteread's Room.
Their work is for sale and, with prices starting at £150, the models are snapped up at art fairs.
The dinky creations can be seen at The Lowry's Thermo 03 exhibition, which brings together the region's most exciting artists.
John, who lives in Sale, says: "There's lots of good work in Manchester and it's a shame that the art scene is still considered provincial. We'd like to be art superstars, we'd like to win prizes and if we won money we could buy some more Lego."
Comedian Ricky Gervais bought Dali's Lobster Phone and Gilbert & George rang up to request postcards of a model that featured them.
"We've not heard what Damien Hirst thinks about our work, but we think he likes it," John says cautiously.
"We're very good friends with Gavin Turk and we think he tells people what we're up to."
Permission
They are such good friends with the young British artist that Cake and Neave's first major piece of work was called Gavin Turk's Rubbish. "There's a play on words," he laughs, "but we were never going to have a go at him. We literally put on an exhibition of Gavin Turk's rubbish - framed and everything - with his permission, of course.
"The gallery is known for being controversial so I think people knew what to expect."
John explains that the art system dictates that there's a way things should be done, there's a way that artists should approach galleries about their work. "We wrote to people asking if we could burn down their galleries. Some said absolutely not and others understood what we were trying to do but said it wasn't practical."
John admits the pair want to be infamous and be able to do whatever they want and this includes doing things that people have done already.
"Our art works on different levels. It makes you think about authorship, that there are no more ideas left in art. But we don't like people being pretentious, trying to make themselves look good when they're looking at art."
Kids love the work because of the Lego and for adults it's a blast from the past and brings out their inner child and on a deeper, philosophical level it challenges people's perception of art and artists.
"When you go to a gallery you think you have to behave in a certain way or have a certain reaction. We're not going to tell people what they should think. It is art because we say it is but if people think our work is just cute then we're not going to be offended."
Their inspiration comes from art "superstars", from visiting galleries and deciding what is possible within the realms of Lego.
"We're restricted to the bricks in existence. We're sickeningly nice to Lego and we've not had any trouble with them. We spend thousands of pounds with them."
John's love affair with Lego began when he was a child and he admits to having been a member of the Lego club for 25 years.
"Lego is not a faddish toy, it's a classic," he gushes.
Thermo 03 is at the Lowry until July 20. Call 0870 787 5790 or visit The Lowry website below.
What do you think of the Lego art? Have your say by submitting your comments below.
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