Playing With Murals (10 Photos)
Content warning: Which one is your favorite?
These 10 cleverly positioned murals turn everyday passersby into part of the artwork. From chalk illusions on sidewalks to children mirroring painted doubles, this post explores street art made to be played with. Locations include Greece, Sweden, Malaysia, Ireland, and more.
More!: Playing With Statues (10 Photos)
1. Surprise Cake — Michael Tsinoglou in Naxos, Greece
A painted boy holds a cake while hiding around the corner, seemingly ready to surprise a passerby. The clean white backdrop of a Greek island alley helps the illusion blend into real life.
🔗 Follow Michael Tsinoglou on Instagram
2. Little Double — Andy Dice Davies in UK
A child wearing sunglasses and a star-patterned hoodie points at a mural of a girl in identical clothing and pose, as if encountering her cartoon twin.
🔗 Follow Andy Dice Davies on Instagram
3. Crocodile Rapids — Julian Beever in Charleston, USA
A man kneels on an inflatable raft placed over a chalk mural of a raging stream with a crocodile lurking below. The illusion pulls people into a moment of comic danger.
🔗 Follow Julian Beever on Instagram
4. Subway Stairs — Panya Clark Espinal in Toronto, Canada
A staircase painted on subway tiles and floor lines up with the angle of pedestrian movement, creating a surreal moment of walking between 2D and 3D space.
🔗 Learn more about Panya Clark Espinal
5. Frozen Rift — Edgar Mueller in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland
A massive 3D painting gives the illusion of a deep icy chasm cutting through the ground. Pedestrians playfully pose on the “edge,” adding tension and drama to their photos.
🔗 Follow Edgar Mueller on Instagram
6. Bridge Grab — Cosimo Caiffa & Mor Pavone in Nerviano, Italy
A gigantic figure painted under a bridge reaches around a concrete wall, seemingly trying to grab a person crawling below. More: 23 Amazing 3D Murals by CHEONE!
🔗 Follow Cheone on Instagram
7. Bike Ride — Ernest Zacharevic in George Town, Malaysia
A famous mural of two children on a bicycle invites visitors to jump into the scene—running beside them or pretending to be pulled along. More great street art in George Town!: George Town’s Street Art Wonderland: 61 Stunning Murals You Must See in Penang!
🔗 Follow Ernest Zacharevic on Instagram
8. Cupid’s Swing — Millie Newitt & Tara Fowler in Tauranga, New Zealand
Two women sit on a swing installed in front of a mural of a forest canopy, with a painted angel aiming her arrow toward them.
9. Angel Wings
A mural of wide-spread wings is carefully placed so pedestrians walking by appear to suddenly grow feathers.
10. Mind Your Step — Erik Johansson in Stockholm, Sweden
At first glance, the entire plaza seems to sink into a hole. The photorealistic illusion makes visitors freeze or pose dramatically to “avoid falling in.”
🔗 Follow Erik Johansson on Instagram
More!: [b][url=https://streetartutopia.com/2025/05/05/playing-with-statues/]Playing with statues (25 photos)[/url][/b]
Which one is your favorite?
9 Sculptures You (Probably) Didn’t Know Existed
From a 50-foot Native American monument overlooking the Missouri River to a surreal hammock strung across a border fence, these sculptures push the boundaries of form, meaning, and public space. Whether constructed from stone, steel, wire, or illusion, each work defies convention — and chances are, you haven’t seen them before. Locations span from Barcelona to Philadelphia, from South Dakota plains to Turkish landscapes.
More: 8 Inspiring Sculptures Seamlessly Integrated with Nature
1. Melancholy — Albert György in Geneva, Switzerland
This bronze sculpture of a seated figure appears hollowed out from within, forming an arched void from chest to head. The minimalist facial features and slumped posture evoke absence and loss, using emptiness as its central element.
2. Window and Ladder – Too Late for Help — Leandro Erlich in Montevideo, Uruguay
A fragment of brick wall with a single window floats mid-air, supported by a ladder that leads nowhere. Placed in an empty lot, this illusion-based sculpture alters space and challenges logic.
3. Border Hammock — Murat Gök in Istanbul, Turkey
Two fence poles curve inward to cradle a man resting in a hammock made from the fence itself. By bending an otherwise rigid border element into a place of rest, the sculpture offers a quiet yet clever political statement.
4. Freedom — Zenos Frudakis in Philadelphia, USA
This bronze wall shows four human forms in various stages of breaking free, culminating in a fully emerged figure stepping into open space. It explores transformation and personal liberation.
5. Giant Slingshot Bench — Cornelia Konrads in Germany
A wooden bench is suspended by two long red straps tied to a massive Y-shaped branch. The setup mimics a slingshot ready to launch, blending utility with playful imagination.
6. Dignity — Dale Lamphere in Chamberlain, South Dakota, USA
Standing 50 feet tall, this stainless steel monument honors Native American women. The figure wears a star quilt composed of blue diamond shapes that shimmer in the wind.
7. The Kiss of Death — Unknown Artist in Barcelona, Spain
This marble sculpture in Poblenou Cemetery shows a skeleton with wings gently kissing the forehead of a lifeless young man. Created in 1930, it’s both romantic and haunting.
8. The Weight of Grief — Celeste Roberge in Portland, Maine, USA
A crouched human form is constructed from a metal frame filled with smooth river stones. The heavy material and posture communicate emotional burden through literal weight.
9. UMI — Daniel Popper in Lisle, Illinois, USA
This monumental figure is composed of sculpted wood and branches shaped into a female form. Her hands and body are formed by intertwining tree limbs, suggesting organic unity.More: When Street Art Meets Nature (40 Photos)
Which one is your favorite?
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