You Might Walk Past These—But They’re Tiny Masterpieces in Disguise
Content warning: Which one is your favorite?
In Milan, Golsa Golchini is reshaping how we see the cracks, rust, and decay of city walls. Her miniature street art scenes don’t cover damage—they embrace it.
A girl swings from rain streaks. A turtle borrows a tank as its shell. A young musician draws music from crumbling plaster. Each piece is site-specific, small in scale but rich in detail, and carefully crafted to interact with its exact surroundings. In this collection, we feature ten of Golchini’s latest public artworks across Milan—where the city’s imperfections become the very foundation of her storytelling.
🔗 Follow Golsa Golchini on Instagram
Laundry Day
A woman leans from a real window, painted to appear as if she’s reading the fractured wall like a book. The peeling plaster becomes a cascading page.
The Hidden Melody
Golsa Golchini cleverly integrates minimalist art, depicting a young girl realistically painted emerging from peeling plaster. The girl is holding a bow as if playing Double Bass on the crumbling wall itself, transforming urban decay into a subtle and poetic performance.
Flashlight Beam
A boy holds a large flashlight aimed upward. The beam isn’t painted—it’s a real streak of sunlight on the wall, timed perfectly with the art.
Elephant Friend
A little girl in a striped dress reaches out to gently touch the head of an elephant, its form emerging naturally from the cracked wall. Golsa Golchini uses the contours of the damaged surface to suggest the animal’s shape, turning urban decay into an unexpected moment of connection between child and creature.
Turtle Shell
A green turtle peeks out from behind a public plastic container. The container’s shape mimics its shell in a surreal visual twist.
Boy with Dog
A child walks a dog on a leash. The dog is made from a rust stain and a hole in the wall, blending seamlessly with the texture.
Snail at the Curb
A snail painted near the sidewalk seems to crawl slowly through a pile of real dried leaves. The edge of the street becomes part of its journey.
Rain Swing
A girl swings from two long streaks of water damage on a concrete wall. The stains form ropes, and her painted legs kick out into open space.
Cracked Pikachu
A joyful cartoon face bursts through a chipped section of wall, clearly inspired by Pikachu from Pokémon. The playful eyes and wide pink mouth are painted around the cracks, making it feel like the character is peeking through the surface itself.
Giraffe Peek
A giraffe peeks through an opening in dense ivy, as if hiding behind the greenery. The painted surface perfectly matches the hole.
Golsa Golchini’s art doesn’t just live on the walls of Milan—it lives with them. Every crack becomes a canvas, every rust patch a character. These ten interventions remind us that beauty can emerge from erosion, and that even a broken surface can tell a complete story. In Golchini’s hands, the city itself collaborates—every wall is part of the work.
More: Natalia Rak: The Muralist Turning Walls Into Masterpieces
Which one is your favorite?
Birds! (14 Photos)
From intimate close-ups to massive architectural takeovers, this collection of bird-themed street art captures the elegance of birds across the globe.
You’ll find photorealistic falcons, surreal cranes, oversized parrots, and delicate wrens brought to life on city walls—each mural a tribute to avian beauty and the artists who transform urban landscapes with their feathers and color. Locations range from the Netherlands and Morocco to France and Australia, each mural offering a unique interpretation of nature through public art.More birds!: 8 Beautiful Artworks That Seem to Grow From Nature
1. Daniel Mac Lloyd’s mural in Heerlen, Netherlands
Two vibrant blue parrots embrace in a strikingly intimate pose, filling the entire side of a house. Painted with rich blues and bursts of orange, the feathers look almost fluid—blending realism with a painterly splash technique that gives motion and emotion to the birds. More photos!: Bird Love by Daniel Mac LLOYD in Heerlen, Netherlands🔗 Follow Daniel Mac Lloyd on Instagram
2. Geoffrey Carran’s mural in Carlton North, Melbourne, Australia
A vibrant superb fairywren perches on a blooming branch of pink flowers, painted on a sleek gray wall. The contrast of the soft blossoms and the vivid blue plumage creates a delicate and cheerful composition full of spring energy. More photos!: Male Fairy Wren by Geoffrey Carran Melbourne, Australia🔗 Follow Geoffrey Carran on Instagram
3. Alegría del Prado’s mural in Rabat, Morocco
A regal falcon with floral plumage and textile patterns adorns a white building in Rabat. The intricate design blends feathers with decorative motifs, transforming the raptor into a symbolic and cultural tapestry. More photos!: 4 Photos of Falcon – Mural by Alegria del Prado in Rabat, Morocco🔗 Follow Alegría del Prado on Instagram
4. Curtis Hylton’s mural in Nykvarn, Sweden
A majestic osprey emerges from a composition of large cream-colored roses and golden shells, with two chicks nestled below. The hyperrealism and symbolic floral fusion create a visual story of protection and grace. More photos!: Floral Osprey – By Curtis Hylton in Nykvarn, Sweden🔗 Follow Curtis Hylton on Instagram
5. Vadim Mezzo’s mural in Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Two elegant herons stand side by side in front of a stylized pink sunset and pine tree silhouettes. The mural is geometric yet soft, creating a tranquil lake scene with a graphic, poster-like quality. More photos!: “In silence” by Vadim Mezzo in Rostov-on-Don, Russia🔗 Follow Vadim Mezzo on Instagram
6. A-MO’s mural in Bordeaux, France
A kingfisher, perched on the corner of a building, bursts with color and texture. The dynamic brushwork mimics feathers in motion, and the location cleverly integrates the mural into urban flow. More photos!: Kingfisher by A-MO in Bordeaux, France🔗 Follow A-MO on Instagram
7. WD (Wild Drawing)’s mural in Athens, Greece
An owl stares intensely from a historic building corner, its massive eyes framed by golden ornamental swirls. The illusion of depth and the realistic textures make it feel alive within the wall. More by WD!: 3D Street Art by WD (7 Murals)🔗 Follow WD (Wild Drawing) on Instagram
8. TUZQ’s mural in Mol, Belgium
A grey crowned crane stands regally with deep blue feathers and a shimmering gold crest. The dark background contrasts sharply with the vivid bird, adding theatrical lighting to this photorealistic piece. More photos!: Mural of a Crane bird by TUZQ in Mol, Belgium🔗 Follow TUZQ on Instagram
9. Adele Renault’s mural in Stavelot, Belgium
A pigeon’s head dominates a multi-surfaced house, with textured roof tiles doubling as feathers. The gradient iridescence and scale of the piece give it a surreal monumentality. More photos!: This Stunning Pigeon Mural in Belgium Is a Must-See🔗 Follow Adele Renault on Instagram
10. L7m’s mural
A small bird bursts into motion with chaotic lines and neon shades of pink, orange, and black. L7m blends abstract graffiti with realism, creating a sense of explosive speed and urban energy. More by L7m!: Street Art by L7m – A Collection🔗 Follow L7m on Instagram
11. Jan Is De Man’s mural in Vinkeveense Plassen, Netherlands
A photorealistic peacock appears to be walking off a brick wall and into nature. The illusionary depth and shimmering tail feathers spill across the path like a real bird mid-stride. More!: 8 Happy 3D Artworks by Jan Is De Man That Will Make You Smile🔗 Follow Jan Is De Man on Instagram
12. Mural by Carlos Alberto GH in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico
A hyper-realistic 3D street art mural by Carlos Alberto GH in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico, depicting a vibrant scarlet macaw in flight. The parrot’s red, blue, and yellow feathers are rendered with stunning precision, creating the illusion that the bird is emerging from the wall. More photos!: By Carlos Alberto GH – In Chiapas, Mexico (6 photos)🔗 Follow Carlos Alberto GH on Instagram
13. Chicken Punk — Lexus One in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
A large mural of a rooster painted with striking realism. The bird’s red comb and wattles contrast with its layered brown feathers, while its tail fans out in deep blue and purple tones.🔗 Follow Lexus One on Instagram
Photo by LuKutz
14. Nature Is the Teacher of Art — Anna Tautt & Kkade Schwarzmaler in Hamburg, Germany
An Art Nouveau–inspired mural featuring two thrushes against a deep green background. Surrounded by ornate golden framing, the birds are rendered with lifelike detail, one perched and the other with an open beak as if calling.🔗 Follow Anna Tautt & Kkade Schwarzmaler on Instagram
More: When Street Art Meets Nature (40 Photos)
Which one is your favorite?
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