Search
Items tagged with: TANAI
Playful Street Art (12 Photos)
Content warning: Which one is your favorite?
From a sun-drawing child towering over snowy rooftops in Kazakhstan to mischievous interventions on traffic signs and bollards in Paris, this playful collection of urban artworks brings charm and surprise to everyday streets. Featuring works from artists like Pure Evil, Le CyKlop, and Michael Tsinoglou, these installations reimagine dull objects into moments of delight.
More!: 9 Sculptures You (Probably) Didn’t Know Existed
1. Drawing the Sun — TANAI & Ali Zakir in Almaty, Kazakhstan
A large mural of a barefoot child in patterned trousers and blue hoodie appears to draw a giant sun onto the side of an apartment block. The piece uses a strong upward perspective to enhance the child’s scale, adding warmth and innocence to the snowy urban setting.
🔗 Follow TANAIon Instagram
2. Dinner Sign
A red “Do Not Enter” traffic sign is transformed into a minimalist bar scene. Three stick figures are seated and standing across the white strip, with one drinking from a martini glass.
3. Electrocuted Homer — Oakoak in France
Homer Simpson is painted in cartoon style, appearing to be electrocuted by a wall-mounted electrical box. His body is contorted in shock, cleverly interacting with real wires and outlets. More by Oakoak!: From Homer Simpson to Obelix: Oakoak’s Genius Street Art! (10 Photos)
🔗 Follow Oakoak on Instagram
4. I Am a Unicorn — Pure Evil in East London, England
A realistic black-and-white rhino stands against a dark wall with the words “I AM A UNICORN” painted above in bright blue. The contrast between text and imagery creates a deadpan visual joke.
🔗 Follow Pure Evil on Instagram
5. Live Like a Child — Michael Tsinoglou in Naxos, Greece
A boy painted on a whitewashed alley wall leans out as if about to surprise a passerby with a cake. The playful illusion blends seamlessly into the narrow street.
🔗 Follow Michael Tsinoglou on Instagram
6. Hugging Cabinets — Adam Okuciejewski and Szymon Czarnowski in Olsztyn, Poland
Two electrical boxes are painted with expressive cartoon eyes and a long arm reaching across to hug the smaller box. The minimal graffiti turns utility objects into characters.
7. Mini Me — Andy Dice Davies in England
A girl wearing a hoodie with white stars stands beside a painted version of herself on a green utility box. Both wear sunglasses and strike matching poses.
🔗 Follow Andy Dice Davies on Instagram
8. Lego Bollards — Le CyKlop in Paris, France
Blue street bollards are topped with yellow, drippy Lego-style heads painted with expressive faces, transforming a row of posts into a cast of characters. More!: Le CyKlop – Turning the Ordinary into One-Eyed Wonders
🔗 Follow Le CyKlop on Instagram
9. Rose of Joy — Victor García Repo & Nerea Bernal in San Lorenzo de la Parrilla, Spain
A cheerful mural showing a kid crouched in a 3D illusion frame, offering a red rose. With orange cap, shiny jacket, and a smiley face on the shirt, the piece radiates optimism and warmth. Painted by Victor García Repo and Nerea Bernal.
🔗 Follow Victor García and Nerea Bernal on Instagram
10. Lamp Post Lovers
A whimsical sculpture of two street lamps bending together as if sharing a quiet moment on a park bench. The scene feels alive, with one small cat-like figure nearby completing the playful illusion.
11. Wall Face — Nikita Nomerz in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
This mural turns a cracked wall into a face with expressive eyes and a wide grin formed by the building’s crumbling bricks. Nomerz is known for transforming decay into personality, finding humor in imperfection. More!: 17 Times Nikita Nomerz Brought Walls to Life
12. The Mask — DavidL in Barcelona, Spain
A vivid mural inspired by the film “The Mask,” painted on an old wall where the character’s exaggerated green face bursts with energy. The bright yellow hat and the small dog beside the wall add to the comic effect. More!: Surreal Art By DavidL! (15 Photos)
🔗 Follow DavidL on Instagram
More!: Repairing Streets with Artful Mosaics (14 Photos)
Which one is your favorite?
Sculptures You (Probably) Didn’t Know Existed (9 Photos)
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: Sculptures That Blend With Nature (10 Photos)
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?
Creative Genius (8 Photos)
Content warning: In this collection, street artists and sculptors transform walls, sidewalks, and discarded materials into works of imagination. From a playful chalk creature sweeping leaves to a powerful metal sculpture of Miles Davis, each piece captures the spirit of c
In this collection, street artists and sculptors transform walls, sidewalks, and discarded materials into works of imagination. From a playful chalk creature sweeping leaves to a powerful metal sculpture of Miles Davis, each piece captures the spirit of creative genius in public spaces. Featured are works from Athens, Almaty, Málaga, California, Vancouver, Kotor, and more.
More: This Is How You Think Outside the Box! (8 Photos)
1. Chalk Art by David Zinn — Michigan, USA
A small green creature named Sluggo with wide eyes is drawn in chalk on a sidewalk, raking fallen autumn leaves into a corner crack. The drawing integrates perfectly with the real leaves scattered on the ground. More!: Beautiful Autumn By David Zinn! (8 Photos)
🔗 Follow David Zinn on Instagram
2. “Knowledge Speaks – Wisdom Listens” by WD (Wild Drawing) — Athens, Greece
A massive mural of a realistic owl covers the entire corner of a building. The piercing yellow eyes dominate the structure, framed by intricate golden patterns that highlight the owl’s face. More!: Beautiful 3D Art by WD! (8 Photos)
🔗 Follow WD (Wild Drawing) on Instagram
3. Miles Davis Sculpture by Vlado Kostov — Kotor, Montenegro
A detailed sculpture of jazz legend Miles Davis made entirely from recycled metal parts. The figure bends forward, holding a trumpet, with mechanical textures and components forming its body.
🔗 Follow Vlado Kostov on Instagram
4. Mural of a Boy Painting the Sun by TANAI & Ali Zakir — Almaty, Kazakhstan
A child in colorful pants and a blue shirt reaches high with a paint roller, drawing a large bright sun on the side of an apartment building. The mural blends scale and innocence to brighten the urban space. More!: 3 pics: Boy painting a sun on a house in Almaty, Kazakhstan
🔗 Follow TANAI and Ali Zakir on Instagram
5. Salvador Dalí and Vincent van Gogh by Nesui — Málaga, Spain
A surreal mural depicts Salvador Dalí as a barber cutting Vincent van Gogh’s hair. The scene is set against a colorful wall of books, blending humor with a nod to art history. More!: Mural on Salvador Dalí and Vincent van Gogh by Nesui in Malaga, Spain
🔗 Follow Nesui on Instagram
6. Octopus Mural by Tyler Toews — Vancouver, Canada
A giant octopus painted on a wall wraps its tentacles around a discarded plastic bottle beneath the ocean surface. The mural highlights marine life and plastic pollution in a striking underwater scene. More!: 4 Photos of Octopus Mural by Tyler Toews in Vancouver, Canada
🔗 Follow Tyler Toews on Instagram
7. Street Art by Tom Bob — California, USA
Utility meters on a wall are transformed into watches displayed by a cartoon character in a trench coat. The playful design reimagines urban fixtures as part of a street vendor’s watch collection. More!: 33 Artworks by Creative Genius Tom Bob (That Will Make You Smile)
🔗 Follow Tom Bob on Instagram
8. “You Blew Me Away” by Penny Hardy — United Kingdom
A wind-swept human figure sculpture created from recycled metal. The solid front of the body dissolves into fragments of gears and circular shapes flowing backward like a gust of air.
🔗 Follow Penny Hardy on Instagram
More: Made You Look! (8 Photos)
Which of these eight works of creative genius speaks to you the most?
Clever Surprises (8 Photos)
From a wall crack turned into a bird to a “dog library” for sticks, this collection brings together eight playful street artworks that twist everyday objects into clever surprises. Expect invisible men, rock dinosaurs, sewer covers turned into record players, and more creative illusions that prove the streets are full of imagination.
More!: Made You Smile (8 Photos)
1. Bird Crack
A simple crack in the wall turned into the body of a bird with two legs drawn underneath. A minimal intervention that turns damage into creativity.
2. Dog Library
A humorous installation with a sign reading “Dog Library: Take a stick, leave a stick.” A witty nod to how dogs collect sticks, presented like a public service.
3. Invisible Man
A small setup on the street with flip-flops on a stool and a sign announcing an “Invisible Naked Man.” A funny take on busking with nothing to see but imagination.
4. Rock Dinosaur — David Zinn in USA
A rock on the sidewalk becomes the head of a dinosaur, complete with an open mouth and tiny arms, thanks to clever chalk art. More!: Cute Art By David Zinn (14 Photos)🔗 Follow David Zinn on Instagram
5. DJ Cover
A manhole cover is outlined with white paint to resemble a turntable, turning a functional object into a playful nod to music culture.
6. Miles Davis Sculpture — Vlado Kostov in Kotor, Montenegro
A sculpture of Miles Davis made from scrap metal, created by Vlado Kostov. The piece merges music and machinery in the old town of Kotor.
7. The Cracks — Oakoak in France
A small painted figure with a pickaxe appears to be working on a real crack in the stone, blending painting with physical damage. More!: Street Art By Oakoak (9 Photos)🔗 Follow Oakoak on Instagram
8. Shady Watch Dealer — Tom Bob in California, USA
Utility meters on a wall are transformed into watches, displayed by a painted shady dealer character. A clever piece by Tom Bob that reimagines urban infrastructure. More!: 33 Artworks by Creative Genius Tom Bob (That Will Make You Smile)🔗 Follow Tom Bob on Instagram
More: Funny Signs! (18 Photos)
Which one is your favorite?
Murals That Hit You Right in the Heart (12 Photos)
Content warning: Which one is your favorite?
Street art often captures human emotions, societal messages, and profound statements in ways words cannot fully express. From murals depicting the stark realities of conflict to uplifting images celebrating nurturing moments, the works in this collection provide a visual journey through emotional depth, cultural significance, and humanity’s complex narratives. Here, you’ll discover a child’s playful imagination reshaping reality, the raw pain of the housing crisis, heartfelt reflections on war, and compelling advocacy for social change.
More: 14 Powerful Art Pieces Overflowing With Emotion
My Dog Sighs in Cardiff, UK
A striking mural features a detailed eye painted with Ukraine’s flag colors—blue and yellow. Within the eye’s reflection, Kyiv burns, symbolizing the human tragedy of war in Ukraine. Paint drips mimic tears, emphasizing sorrow and empathy.
🔗 Follow My Dog Sighs on Instagram
Chemis in Plzeň, Czech Republic
In Plzeň, a photorealistic mural by Chemis depicts a child wrapped warmly in bed sheets holding a teddy bear, an alarm clock above signaling the passing of childhood. The mural cleverly blends with the building’s aged facade, creating a surreal peeling effect.
Smug One in Greenock, Scotland
An impactful, lifelike mural by Smug One depicts a mermaid tenderly breastfeeding her child, capturing an intimate moment while advocating for the normalization of breastfeeding in public spaces.
More by SMUG: 24 Times SMUG Made Walls Look More Real Than Life
🔗 Follow Smug One on Instagram
Bifido in Gambettola, Italy
A large-scale mural titled “Hell Is Round The Corner” by Bifido portrays an older man holding his head in despair, masterfully integrating existing windows and architectural elements to intensify the expression of emotional distress.
Asbestos in Cork, Ireland
Asbestos addresses Ireland‘s housing crisis through a surreal mural of a person wearing a cardboard box over their head, capturing a profound feeling of helplessness and anonymity amidst the crisis.
🔗 Follow Asbestos on Instagram
Oriol Arumi in Lleida, Spain
Oriol Arumi transforms an apartment block into a stunning scene depicting storks nesting high in a tree, symbolizing family, hope, and the bond between nature and urban spaces.
🔗 Follow Oriol Arumi on Instagram
TANAI and Ali Zakir in Almaty, Kazakhstan
This cheerful mural by TANAI and Ali Zakir shows a child drawing a vibrant orange sun on a residential building, playfully blending street art with childhood innocence and optimism.
🔗 Follow TANAI on Instagram | Follow Ali Zakir on Instagram
GOIN in Geneva, Switzerland
GOIN’s poignant stencil artwork “Peace Maker” portrays a child attempting to heal a fallen dove, symbolizing efforts toward peace amid geopolitical conflicts, notably referencing the invasion of Ukraine.
Murales Lian’s mural in Ondarroa, Spain
A black-and-white photorealistic mural of elderly hands weaving a net, painted across the full height of a residential building. While the hands and background remain monochromatic, the fishing net is brought to life with vivid strands in orange, red, pink, blue, green, and yellow. The mural pays tribute to the traditional work of women in the coastal town of Ondarroa.
🔗 Follow Murales Lian on Instagram
Michael Rosato’s mural in Cambridge, Maryland, USA
This lifelike mural of Harriet Tubman is painted on the side of the Tubman Museum and Education Center. Tubman is shown stepping out of a broken brick wall, arm extended as if reaching for the viewer’s hand. Behind her, a calm riverside landscape glows under a setting sun. The artwork is titled Take My Hand and has become an iconic tribute to her legacy.
🔗 Follow Michael Rosato on Instagram
Anonymous artist’s stencil in Germany
A simple yet impactful stencil showing a young woman hunched over, vomiting a stream of bright red hearts onto the sidewalk. Dressed in casual clothes and holding a smartphone in one hand, the artwork titled Lovesick captures a raw, satirical commentary on modern relationships and emotional excess.
My Dog Sighs’ mural in Eccleston, Lancashire, UK
A detailed mural of a single eye painted on a textured wall, with teal and green tones suggesting flowing tears. The reflection in the pupil shows a cobblestone street and a solitary figure, adding depth and a subtle narrative of solitude and reflection. The artwork seamlessly integrates the rough wall texture into its emotional effect.
🔗 Follow My Dog Sighs on Instagram
More: 11 Times I Found Street Art Cleverly Using Its Surroundings
Which one is your favorite?
11 Beautiful Artworks That Seem to Grow From Nature
Some artworks don’t just sit in nature—they become part of it. Around the world, artists are crafting sculptures and murals that seamlessly merge with their surroundings, using trees, vines, and landscapes as living elements of their work. These 11 pieces don’t fight against nature; they grow with it.
From giant figures emerging from forests to street art that transforms urban greenery into playful illusions, these eight stunning creations prove that art and nature can exist in perfect harmony.More: 8 Inspiring Sculptures Seamlessly Integrated with Nature
1. “Sleeping Child” by El Decertor (Imbabura, Ecuador)
A mural by El Decertor in Imbabura, Ecuador, depicting a young child sleeping against a concrete wall, with creeping ivy blending into the painting as a natural blanket.
2. “UMI” by Daniel Popper (Illinois, USA)
“UMI” by Daniel Popper at the outdoor tree museum The Morton Arboretum in Illinois, USA—an intricate wooden sculpture of a woman with tree roots weaving through her body, set in a green landscape.About and more photos: “UMI” Sculpture by Daniel Popper in Lisle, Illinois
3. Street Art by David Zinn (Ann Arbor, USA)
A street art piece by David Zinn in Ann Arbor, USA, featuring a small green character with a real grass mustache blending into the pavement.More!: Street Art by Happiness Maker David Zinn (21 Photos)
4. Flower Street Art by Fabio Gomes Trindade (Goiás, Brazil)
A mural by Fabio Gomes Trindade in Goiás, Brazil, featuring a girl’s face with a real tree forming her vibrant pink afro hairstyle.More by Fabio Gomes: How Fábio Gomes Turns Trees into Hair: Stunning Murals in Trindade
5. Sidewalk Flower Experiment
A beautiful example of accidental nature-inspired art—kindergarten children dropped seeds into sidewalk cracks, leading to a spontaneous floral pathway.More photos and about: Kindergarten children dropped seeds in the crack of the sidewalk to see what would happen
6. “Nature Rings” by Spencer Byles (Deep Forest, France)
A series of woven circular sculptures by Spencer Byles made from natural branches, blending seamlessly with the surrounding forest.
7. Willow Archer by Anna & The Willow (UK)
A woven willow sculpture of a female archer by Anna & The Willow, set against a wooded path.
8. Wire Mermaid by Martin Debenham (UK)
A wire sculpture by Martin Debenham of a mermaid sitting on a rock, with the intricate metalwork mimicking flowing water.
9. Snake in the Green — Hyères, France
A plain gray cinderblock wall in a hidden grove was completely transformed into a lifelike snake by street artist Rest4. The viper, rendered in vibrant greens, blues, and yellows, emerges from the shadows of the forest floor. The before-and-after framing reveals the power of imagination to awaken forgotten spaces.
10. Fluentem Colos — Little Milford, Wales
Land artist Jon Foreman created this delicate, wave-like gradient in a woodland clearing using carefully arranged leaves. Starting in green and fading to deep orange, the sculpture blends with the forest floor in color, shape, and motion—appearing to ripple like wind through grass. More by Jon Foreman: 9 Leaf Sculptures That Stir the Soul in the Forest (Art by Jon Foreman)
11. Florinda Camila — “WA” Marko Franco Domenak in Lima, Peru
This creative mural cleverly incorporates a real bougainvillea bush as the hair of a painted woman. A monarch butterfly completes the peaceful scene, adding movement to this blend of paint and nature.🔗 Follow WA on Instagram
More: When Street Art Meets Nature (40 Photos)
Which one is your favorite?
