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Smart Illusions (9 Photos)
Content warning: Which one is your favorite?
From a tunnel turned into a pair of binoculars to entire buildings camouflaged as architecture, these nine clever illusions show how artists are transforming urban surfaces into tricks for the eye. This collection features murals, 3D chalk art, and sculptural illusions from France to the United States—all blending art with environment in surprising ways.
More!: 9 Illusion Murals That Make Walls Disappear Into Time and Fantasy
1. “Le Mur des Canuts” — Lyon, France
A formerly blank façade becomes a hyperrealistic scene of staircases, buildings, greenery, and pedestrians in the massive trompe-l’œil mural Le Mur des Canuts. It transforms a plain wall into a realistic multi-level street. More photos and about the mural here!
2. “Trombone Player” by Tom Bob — New York, USA
Using yellow pipes as part of the design, the artist painted a large trombone on the wall and a cartoon character blowing into it. The real metal pipes serve as the instrument’s tubing. More photos here!
More by Tom Bob!: 33 Artworks by Creative Genius Tom Bob (That Will Make You Smile)
3. 3D Street Art by Joe & Max — Gloucester, UK
A man appears to stand on the edge of a pit revealing ancient Roman columns and a mosaic pool. This chalk illusion creates the sense of a collapsed street opening into hidden ruins.
More!: 9 Mind-Blowing 3D Street Art by Joe and Max
4. Tunnel Mural
A painted face with hands holding binoculars transforms two pedestrian tunnel openings into the lenses. People walking through the tunnel complete the illusion from a distance.
5. 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
6. “CANNOT” Camera Sculpture by Biancoshock — Lodi, Italy
Discarded construction pipes and concrete blocks are painted to look like a broken DSLR camera labeled “CANNOT,” in a parody of Canon. The illusion works from a specific angle where the lens and viewfinder align. More photos here!
7. “Dream of Freedom” by Juandres Vera — Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
A girl sits in a surreal architectural cube, reading a book beside a puffin. The mural’s 3D design uses the building’s shape to create the illusion of depth. More photos and about the mural here!
8. Rooster Illusion by Odeith
A large anamorphic rooster appears to stand in the corner of an abandoned structure. The painting wraps around two walls and the floor, visible correctly only from one angle.
More by Odeith!: Master of Illusion!: 19 Jaw-Dropping 3D Graffiti Pieces by Odeith
9. “Space and Time” by Eduardo Relero — Bochum, Germany
A chalk drawing of two old men sleeping on a giant bed includes a real person lying on top, blending reality and art. The illusion only works from a bird’s-eye perspective.
More by Eduardo Relero!: Street Art by Eduardo Relero – A Collection
More!: Street Art by Happiness Maker David Zinn (21 Photos)
Which one is your favorite?
Before And After (10 Photos)
From illusions that make you fall down rabbit holes to majestic scenes from another century, this collection dives into a world where walls become windows into entirely different realities. In this photo journey, you’ll find Eduardo Relero’s fantastical chalk worlds, historic balconies painted by Carles Arola in Spain, Kurt Wenner’s London underground surprise, and a hotel facade in Poland that doesn’t actually exist. These aren’t just murals—they’re portals, stories, and tricks of the eye scattered across public spaces in Europe and the U.S.
More 3D: 14 Street Art 3D Masterpieces You Won’t Believe Are Real
1. Mural by WALLART in Łódź, Poland
Artist: WALLART | Location: Łódź, PolandThis trompe-l’oeil mural creates the illusion of a lavish hotel interior, complete with a gold-trimmed ceiling, chandelier, elegant staircase, and sharply dressed guests. The play with architectural depth and lighting tricks viewers into believing the wall has been peeled open to reveal another world inside. More photos here!
2. “The Belgian Underground” by Kurt Wenner
Artist: Kurt Wenner | Location: Brussels, BelgiumPainted directly on the pavement, this 3D chalk artwork brings a warped version of London’s Underground to life. Alice descends into a distorted Piccadilly Circus, encountering the White Rabbit and a dreamlike crowd. The illusion bends space as if the sidewalk drops into an alternate universe.
3. Mural by Carles Arola
Artist: Carles Arola | Location: Calonge, SpainThis large-scale mural turns a flat facade into a detailed village scene with balconies, townspeople, a white horse, and even wine barrels in an open cellar. Every element is rendered to match the stone wall texture, blending history and realism into the environment. More photos here!
🔗 Follow Carles Arola on Facebook
4. Mural by Patrick Commecy
Artist: Patrick Commecy | Location: Montpellier, FranceThis before-and-after transformation shows a blank wall turned into a lifelike apartment block complete with balconies, dogs, and residents interacting. Commecy’s signature style uses vivid colors and careful perspective to mimic real-life structures. More photos here! This mural, visible on Google Maps.
🔗 Visit Patrick Commecy’s Website
5. “Space and Time” by Eduardo Relero
Artist: Eduardo Relero | Location: Bochum, GermanyEduardo Relero’s 3D illusion on a public square turns the sidewalk into a rumpled bed occupied by eccentric characters. A man even lies on it, perfectly aligned with the painted figures. Relero’s theatrical use of foreshortening and humor is on full display here.
🔗 Follow Eduardo Relero on Instagram
6. Mural by John Pugh
Artist: John Pugh | Location: Hermosa Beach, California, USAThis mural creates the illusion of a massive chunk of building peeled away to reveal a sunny beach scene. People sunbathe on towels while a historic hotel rises behind them. Painted shadows and curved edges give it a sculptural effect. More photos here!
🔗 Follow John Pugh on Instagram
7. Mural by Eduardo Relero
Artist: Eduardo Relero | Location: Fiuggi, ItaliaThis small but powerful mural shows a man sipping coffee from a window, so lifelike that a passerby holds up his own cup in greeting. With painterly texture and perspective, the piece bridges reality and illusion in an intimate alley setting.
🔗 Follow Eduardo Relero on Instagram
8. Mural in Lyon, France (Before & After)
Artist Collective: CitéCréation | Location: Lyon, FranceAn iconic example of urban transformation, this enormous facade was painted to replicate surrounding architecture and urban life. The stairs, balconies, windows, and climbing greenery blend perfectly with reality, making the original blank wall disappear entirely. More photos here!
9. Mural by Arleta Kolasińska in Śródka, Poznań
Artist: Arleta Kolasińska | Location: Śródka, Poznań, PolandThis dramatic before-and-after mural makeover transformed a plain white wall into a vivid streetscape filled with colorful facades and playful architectural illusions. The piece features false windows, fake depth, and characters painted into daily life scenes—including one man “climbing” a wall. Commissioned for Café La Ruina, the mural enlivens the historic district and honors local heritage.
More photos and about!: Poland’s Stunning Mural: A Masterpiece in Poznań’s Historic Środka District
10. Mural by Carl Leck in Indianapolis, Indiana
Artist: Carl Leck | Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USAThis 3D-mural shows a suspended glass soda bottle hanging from a beam, complete with realistic lighting and a cast shadow of a bottle cap. The illusion tricks the eye by blending painted shadows and reflections with the building’s architecture. Created for NINE dot ARTS!
🔗 Follow Carl Leck on Instagram
More: Master of Illusion!: 19 Jaw-Dropping 3D Graffiti Pieces by Odeith
Which one is your favorite?
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Pelle Svanslös mural by Charlie Granberg in Uppsala, Sweden
Content warning: Photo by Strangefruit Street Art Street Artist Charlie Granberg By Charlie Granberg in Uppsala, Sweden. Strangefruit Street Art: The cats portrayed on this tricky wall are Pelle and Maja from Gösta Knutsson’s much beloved books about those cat’s adventure
Street Artist Charlie Granberg
By Charlie Granberg in Uppsala, Sweden.
Strangefruit Street Art: The cats portrayed on this tricky wall are Pelle and Maja from Gösta Knutsson’s much beloved books about those cat’s adventures in Uppsala.
https://www.instagram.com/p/COYOrfLnE4M/
Strangefruit Street Art on Instagram: "Beautiful cat wall by @charliegranberg_art in Uppsala. ▶️ swipe for more. The cats portrayed on this tricky wall are Pelle and Maja from Gösta Knutsson’s much beloved books about those cat’s adventures in Uppsala. #c
404 likes, 39 comments - strangefruit_streetart on May 5, 2021: "Beautiful cat wall by @charliegranberg_art in Uppsala. ▶️ swipe for more.Instagram