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9 Unmissable Street Art Gems from Australia
Content warning: Which one is your favorite?
From massive silo murals in South Australia to playful sidewalk installations in Sydney, this selection highlights the diversity and imagination of street art across Australia. Featured works include a platypus painted across a grain silo, a sculpture made entirely from salvaged metal, and a joyful twist on museum etiquette involving a dandelion. Scroll on to explore striking visuals from Melbourne, Perth, Tasmania, and beyond.
More: When Street Art Meets Nature (40 Photos)
1. Please Do Not Touch — By Michael Pederson Sydney, Australia
A single dandelion stands between miniature gallery stanchions, framed by a tiny plaque reading “PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH.” This urban installation cleverly elevates a common weed into a precious exhibit.
More!: 16 Photos – Street Art by Michael Pederson in Sydney, Australia
2. Blue Wren and Blossoms — By Geoffrey Carran in Melbourne, Australia
Painted on a wall in Carlton North, this mural shows a superb fairywren perched on a blooming pink branch. The details of the feathers and petals are crisp against the matte black background.
More birds!: 12 Brilliant Bird Murals That Bring Nature to the Streets
3. Viewing Double — By Jackson Harvey in Perth, Australia
A large butterfly with eye motifs on its wings dominates this mural, blending natural realism with surreal elements and pixelated color blocks. A figure walking past adds a sense of scale and interaction.
4. Silo Sunset and Portrait — By SMUG in Lameroo, South Australia
Painted on a row of silos, this expansive mural features a sunset over a rural landscape and a man deep in thought, portrayed with remarkable realism. The soft golden glow contrasts with the stormy blue tones.
More by SMUG!: 24 Times SMUG Made Walls Look More Real Than Life
5. Metal Merino — By Matt Sloane in Tasmania, Australia
This full-sized ram sculpture was built from salvaged automotive and industrial metal parts. Detailed textures recreate the wool’s curl and heft while maintaining a mechanical, futuristic edge.
6. Platypus on Silo — By Jimmy Dvate in Rochester, Victoria
A platypus bursts from the surface of this painted silo, with dramatic reflections on the water rippling around its bill. The depth and realism are astonishing at this scale.
7. Portrait in Exile — By Adnate in Melbourne, Australia
This towering portrait of a Tibetan elderly captures decades of resilience in each wrinkle. Her eyes are focused and distant, and the red in her scarf adds a vivid pop against a weathered backdrop.
8. ANZAC and Brumby — By ANZAC and Brumby in Walpeup, Australia
Three silos form the canvas for a striking mural showing a WWI soldier, a galah in flight, and a galloping brumby. The dusk-toned gradient links the elements in tribute to Australian identity.
9. Skeleton Selfie — By Kitt Benett in Melbourne, Australia
Painted across an entire empty lot, this giant skeleton lies on its side taking a selfie, with cartoon bones, a pink brain, and oversized sneakers. Best viewed from above, it comments playfully on modern vanity.
More photos!: Skeleton Selfie by Kitt Benett in Melbourne, Australia
Whether it’s pixelated butterflies, platypuses on silos, or a dandelion turned museum piece, Australia’s public art brings its cities and rural spaces to life. These works remind us how humor, history, and nature shape the country’s unique street art scene.
More: Street Art Utopia: Why People Fall In Love With Outdoor Art (25 Photos)
Which one is your favorite?
Buildings That Look Like They’re From a Dream (8 Photos)
From a church in Iceland that looks like a spaceship preparing for launch, to a house zipped open on a street in Milan — this collection showcases architecture at its most imaginative. Included are cliffside wartime refuges, storybook cottages, optical illusions, and centuries-old constructions that defy gravity or blend perfectly into mountains. These aren’t digital renderings — they’re real places from around the world.
More: 8 Beautiful Artworks That Seem to Grow From Nature
1. Unzipped Building — Alex Chinneck in Milan, Italy
A building facade appears to peel open like a jacket, with an oversized zipper curling away the wall to reveal its inner structure. This public installation by Alex Chinneck uses stone, concrete, and illusion to challenge how we perceive architecture.
2. King Alfred’s Tower — England
This red-brick triangular tower rises dramatically from the fog in Somerset, England. Built in 1772, it commemorates Alfred the Great and reaches over 49 meters high with a narrow footprint that adds to its illusion of impossibility.
3. Alpine Refuge — Monte Cristallo, Italy
Located at 2,760 meters in the Dolomites, this hidden wooden shelter from World War I is embedded directly into the rockface. Built for survival, it now appears like a dreamlike relic barely distinguishable from the mountain.
4. Hallgrímskirkja Church — Reykjavík, Iceland
This iconic Lutheran church, inspired by basalt columns and volcanic formations, dominates the Reykjavík skyline. Designed in 1937 and completed in 1986, its symmetry and scale evoke science fiction architecture.
5. The House That Sank — The Crooked House, UK
Built in 1765 on top of a mine shaft, this British pub developed a pronounced tilt as the ground beneath it slowly gave way. Despite its slanting angles, it remained a local favorite for centuries.
6. Organic Slate Roof House — Germany
This home with flowing lines and a wave-shaped slate roof blurs the line between fairy tale and high-end eco-architecture. Natural stone and soft curves give it a whimsical yet grounded appearance.
7. Cliff House — France (Built 1347)
Balanced between eras and gravity, this timber-framed upper house sits atop massive medieval stonework. Located in France and completed in 1347, it seems to hover above the road with support beams stretching underneath.
8. Rock-Built Homes — Sanaa, Yemen
Traditional Yemeni tower houses in Sanaa rise directly from the rock, combining ancient stone masonry with ornate white geometric window frames. The buildings appear both sculpted by nature and intricately human-made.These buildings bend our expectations of what architecture can be — not just structures, but expressions of ingenuity, adaptation, and creativity. Whether carved into mountains or dressed like zippers, they show that the line between surreal and real is thinner than it seems.
More: 30 Sculptures You (probably) Didn’t Know Existed
Which one is your favorite?
Butterfly Art (15 Photos)
Content warning: Butterflies take flight across city walls in stunning street art from around the world. In Beeston, UK, Jim Vision’s The Painted Lady transforms an entire house with a vibrant portrait melting into flowers and monarchs. In St. Paul, Minnesota, CYFI’s Butt
Butterflies take flight across city walls in stunning street art from around the world.
In Beeston, UK, Jim Vision’s The Painted Lady transforms an entire house with a vibrant portrait melting into flowers and monarchs. In St. Paul, Minnesota, CYFI’s Butterfly Effect uses shadow and scale to make butterflies look like they’re lifting off from the wall. Meanwhile, Filite’s Morphos series in Brazil blends hyperrealistic faces with butterfly wings, creating dreamlike transformations.
From Berlin to Brisbane, these murals showcase the power of street art to capture motion, change, and beauty.
1.
Morphos mural by Filite in Taboão da Serra, Brazil
Filite’s mural in Taboão da Serra is part of his Morphos series, featuring fragmented beings dissolving into butterflies. The piece blends hyperrealistic portraiture with ethereal, flowing elements, creating a sense of movement and transformation.
🔗 See photos of Filite’s Morphos series here
2.
Mural by Filite in Curitiba, Brazil
This stunning mural by Filite, painted for Hostel Tattoo CWB in Curitiba, continues his Morphos series. The artist’s signature style merges human figures with butterfly wings.
🔗 More photos of Filite’s work in Curitiba
3.
Butterfly Effect by CYFI in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
CYFI’s mural in St. Paul presents giant, vibrant butterflies hovering against a warm-toned background. Their realistic shadows give them the illusion of flight, symbolizing the profound impact small changes can have—echoing the famous ‘butterfly effect’ concept.
🔗 More photos of Butterfly Effect by CYFI
4
By Drapl and Mural Nomad in Brisbane, Australia
This surreal, dreamlike mural in Brisbane features a woman’s face surrounded by luminous butterflies. Created by Drapl and Mural Nomad, the piece is rich in color and movement.
5.
Liberta by Filite in São Paulo, Brazil
Another breathtaking work by Filite, Liberta showcases his signature blend of realism and abstraction. The mural, painted in São Paulo, features a woman’s face intertwined with vivid butterfly wings.
🔗 More photos of Filite’s Liberta
6.
Mechanical butterfly mural by Ardif in Erriadh, Tunisia
Ardif’s piece in Djerbahood presents a fusion of organic and mechanical elements, turning a butterfly into an intricate steampunk-like creation. The highly detailed artwork reflects the intersection of nature and technology, a signature theme in Ardif’s work.
🔗 Explore Ardif’s mechanical butterfly mural
7.
The Painted Lady by Jim Vision in Beeston, UK
Jim Vision’s mural in Beeston, titled The Painted Lady, features a striking female portrait blending into nature with vivid flowers and monarch butterflies. The piece captures the essence of renewal and connection to the environment.
🔗 Explore Jim Vision’s The Painted Lady mural
8.
Stencil graffiti by Alessio-B in Montagnana, Italy
This minimalist yet powerful stencil by Alessio-B depicts a girl gazing at a red heart dissolving into a flurry of tiny butterflies. The piece, painted in Montagnana, conveys themes of love, hope, and fleeting emotions.
🔗 More photos of artwork by Alessio-B
9.
3D Street Art by Fabian Bane Florin in Chur, Switzerland
Fabian Bane Florin’s hyperrealistic 3D mural in Chur features a fisherman appearing to sit outside the building’s façade, accompanied by delicate butterflies. The optical illusion adds an extra layer of depth and interaction to the artwork.
🔗 More photos of this mural by Fabian Bane
10.
Street Art by Herakut in Berlin, Germany
Herakut’s expressive mural in Berlin presents a hauntingly beautiful female figure surrounded by whimsical, sketch-like butterflies. Their signature storytelling style is evident, merging realism with raw, painterly strokes.
🔗 See more photos of this mural by Herakut
11.
The Butterfly Effect (El Efecto Caparina) by Dridali in El Berrón, Spain
Dridali’s mural in El Berrón, Asturias, portrays a young woman bathed in blue light, holding a glowing monarch butterfly. The scene evokes mystery and transformation, fitting the butterfly effect theme.
🔗 More photos of El Efecto Caparina by Dridali
12.
Viewing Double by Jackson Harvey in Perth, Australia
Jackson Harvey’s mural in Perth features a massive, surreal butterfly with vibrant patterns, seemingly layered with multiple eyes. The bold colors and intricate design give the mural a psychedelic edge, drawing viewers into its hypnotic detail.
13.
Part of a mural by Marek “Looney” Rybowski in Gdynia, Poland
This mural, painted along a stairway in Gdynia, shows a child mid-jump, reaching up and interacting with the building structure. A monarch butterfly appears to fly alongside him, adding a playful detail to the urban scene.
See the entire mural!: Mural by LOONEY in Gdynia, Poland (11 photos)
14.
Yacaré by Tonnyc in Gobernador Virasoro, Argentina
This stunning mural of a yacaré (a South American caiman) by Tonnyc feels almost lifelike, with sharp details on the reptile’s textured scales. Bright yellow butterflies contrast beautifully against the deep green swampy background, adding a dreamlike quality to the piece.
🔗 Follow Tonnyc on Instagram
More: 8 Inspiring Sculptures Seamlessly Integrated with Nature
Which mural is your favorite?
2 Photos of “Morphos” by Filite in Taboão da Serra, Brazil
Street Artist Filite
“Morphos” by Filite in Taboão da Serra, Brazil, for Graffiti Contra Enchente.Dive into the vibrant streets of Taboão da Serra, Brazil, where “Morphos” by Filite comes alive. This piece captures the essence of metamorphosis, blending human features with nature’s beauty. As a passerby strolls, seemingly unaware, one can’t help but feel the poignant contrast of bustling daily life against art’s eternal stillness. In this lively urban canvas, Filite prompts us to pause and marvel, even if just for a fleeting moment. Street art, after all, bridges worlds, doesn’t it?
Filite (translation): Transforming through paint what I believe to be the human challenge. I don’t know about you, but day by day I realize just how fragile my convictions are. How insignificant my control over anything that doesn’t pertain to my own choices is. Painting fragmented portraits in butterflies is like freezing a moment, an action that’s impossible in real life… everything lives and vibrates in constant motion. But here, time has stopped 🙏 stopped for me and for anyone who dedicates a minute of life to connect with it.
More: Beings fragmented into butterfly pieces – By Filite in Curitiba, Brazil
Comments:
Filite on Instagram: "Morphos 🦋 no @graffiticontraenchente 2023 - Metamorfoseando em pintura aquilo que acredito ser o desafio do ser humano. Eu não sei vocês mas dia após dia só percebo o quão quebráveis são minhas convicções. O quão insignificante é a m
2,429 likes, 85 comments - filite_art on October 29, 2023: "Morphos 🦋 no @graffiticontraenchente 2023 - Metamorfoseando em pintura aquilo que acredito ser o desafio do ser humano.Instagram
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Nature Is Everything (10 Photos)
Content warning: Which one is your favorite?
From tree roots forming geometric patterns in urban parks to murals that turn flowers into hair, these eight pieces of street and environmental art prove that nature is more than a backdrop—it’s the medium, the frame, and sometimes the message. In this post, you’ll find: a face in the forest, playful illusions, floral-haired portraits, and creatures bursting through walls. Featuring works from Brazil, the U.S., and beyond.
More: When Street Art Meets Nature (40 Photos)
1. Forest Spirit
A broken tree trunk appears to reveal a hidden forest spirit. Its jagged bark mimics deep wrinkles and a stern expression, while moss on top looks like hair. A small web nestled in one of the “eyes” enhances the illusion of a face.
2. Natural Frame – Mural by Collettivo FX at the Pizzo Sella Art Village in Palermo
A black-and-white mural of two hands holding a camera turns a balcony doorway into a living photo. The window becomes the lens, perfectly framing a mountain view beyond.
🔗 Follow Collettivo FX on Instagram
3. Jungle Roar — Cameron “CAMER1sf” Moberg in Modesto, CA, USA
A roaring tiger emerges from lush flowers and tropical leaves. Monarch butterflies flit across the background, blending wild nature with botanical elements in explosive color.
🔗 Follow CAMER1sf on Instagram
4. Butterfly Effect — CYFI in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Giant butterflies painted on a brick wall seem to lift off in 3D. Their vibrant wings cast painted shadows, enhancing the illusion that they’ve just landed—or are about to take flight.
5. Urban Roots — Natural Growth in Hong Kong
Tree roots spread beneath a banyan tree in precise, parallel lines, mirroring city infrastructure. The organic lines seem almost digital, echoing circuit boards or subway maps.
More photos: Nature at Work: “Mondrianish” Banyan Tree Roots Create Art in Hong Kong
6. Looking Up — Rodrigo Rodrigues in São Paulo, Brazil
The painted face of a child gazes upward in awe, seamlessly blending into real flowering bushes growing from the top of the wall. The plant becomes the child’s hair, rich with blossoms.
🔗 Follow Rodrigo Rodrigues on Instagram
7. Crown of Bougainvillea — Fabio Gomes Trindade in Trindade, Goiás, Brazil
A smiling girl rests her chin on her hand beneath an enormous blooming bougainvillea. The mural is placed so the real plant completes her afro hairstyle with vibrant pink blossoms.
More: How Fábio Gomes Turns Trees into Hair: Stunning Murals in Trindade
8. Four Seasons — Tribute to Kora by Bruno Althamer in Warsaw, Poland
A woman’s portrait is painted at the base of a tree. As the seasons change, the tree’s leaves become her hair—lush in summer, colorful in autumn, bare in winter, and flowering in spring.
More about it and photos: Four Seasons Tribute to Kora in Warsaw, Poland
9. Popeye’s Spinach — Semi O.K in Kocaeli Province, Istanbul, Turkey
A street mural shows Popeye reaching across a wall to hand a can of spinach to his child. A real tree placed above the can appears as the bursting greenery, completing the cartoon illusion. More!: Playful Art By Semiok (8 Photos)
🔗 Follow [b]Semiok on Instagram
10. Carved Void at Lindsway Bay by Jon Foreman
More!: 10 Forest Sculptures By Jon Foreman
🔗 Follow [b]Jon Foreman on Instagram[/b]
More: Street Art Utopia: Why People Fall In Love With Outdoor Art (25 Photos)
Which one is your favorite?
Buildings That Look Like They’re From a Dream (8 Photos)
From a church in Iceland that looks like a spaceship preparing for launch, to a house zipped open on a street in Milan — this collection showcases architecture at its most imaginative. Included are cliffside wartime refuges, storybook cottages, optical illusions, and centuries-old constructions that defy gravity or blend perfectly into mountains. These aren’t digital renderings — they’re real places from around the world.
More: 8 Beautiful Artworks That Seem to Grow From Nature
1. Unzipped Building — Alex Chinneck in Milan, Italy
A building facade appears to peel open like a jacket, with an oversized zipper curling away the wall to reveal its inner structure. This public installation by Alex Chinneck uses stone, concrete, and illusion to challenge how we perceive architecture.
2. King Alfred’s Tower — England
This red-brick triangular tower rises dramatically from the fog in Somerset, England. Built in 1772, it commemorates Alfred the Great and reaches over 49 meters high with a narrow footprint that adds to its illusion of impossibility.
3. Alpine Refuge — Monte Cristallo, Italy
Located at 2,760 meters in the Dolomites, this hidden wooden shelter from World War I is embedded directly into the rockface. Built for survival, it now appears like a dreamlike relic barely distinguishable from the mountain.
4. Hallgrímskirkja Church — Reykjavík, Iceland
This iconic Lutheran church, inspired by basalt columns and volcanic formations, dominates the Reykjavík skyline. Designed in 1937 and completed in 1986, its symmetry and scale evoke science fiction architecture.
5. The House That Sank — The Crooked House, UK
Built in 1765 on top of a mine shaft, this British pub developed a pronounced tilt as the ground beneath it slowly gave way. Despite its slanting angles, it remained a local favorite for centuries.
6. Organic Slate Roof House — Germany
This home with flowing lines and a wave-shaped slate roof blurs the line between fairy tale and high-end eco-architecture. Natural stone and soft curves give it a whimsical yet grounded appearance.
7. Cliff House — France (Built 1347)
Balanced between eras and gravity, this timber-framed upper house sits atop massive medieval stonework. Located in France and completed in 1347, it seems to hover above the road with support beams stretching underneath.
8. Rock-Built Homes — Sanaa, Yemen
Traditional Yemeni tower houses in Sanaa rise directly from the rock, combining ancient stone masonry with ornate white geometric window frames. The buildings appear both sculpted by nature and intricately human-made.These buildings bend our expectations of what architecture can be — not just structures, but expressions of ingenuity, adaptation, and creativity. Whether carved into mountains or dressed like zippers, they show that the line between surreal and real is thinner than it seems.
More: 30 Sculptures You (probably) Didn’t Know Existed
Which one is your favorite?
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