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Items tagged with: streetArtInstallations
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)
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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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Street Humor (8 Photos)
Content warning: From ironic protests to clever illusions, this collection shows how artists use public spaces to use humor in art. You’ll find a wheelchair protest in England, a Star Wars joke on a drainpipe, and sculptures that balance satire and reflection. More: Made
From ironic protests to clever illusions, this collection shows how artists use public spaces to use humor in art. You’ll find a wheelchair protest in England, a Star Wars joke on a drainpipe, and sculptures that balance satire and reflection.
More: Made You Smile (9 Photos)
1. Wheelchair Protest — England
Rows of empty wheelchairs placed in disabled parking spots. Each had a note saying, “Sorry, will be back in a minute. Just had to run and pick something up.”
2. Luke, I Am Your Father — Sweden
A drainpipe shaped like Darth Vader’s mask with a taped speech bubble saying, “Luke, I AM YOUR FATHER.”
3. Dog and Painted Boy — By Trevor Cole in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
A real dog seen touching noses with a painted image of a crying boy on a wall. Photo by [b]Erika Lopez[/b] of her dog Carlos.
4. Freedom Sculpture — Zenos Frudakis in Philadelphia, USA
A bronze sculpture showing four human figures stepping out from a wall, ending with a fully freed figure.
🔗 Follow Zenos Frudakis on Instagram
5. Quarantine — HIJACK in Los Angeles, USA
A stencil artwork of a person pulling up a corner of a wooden fence to reveal trees and greenery behind it. More!: 42 Inspiring Street Art by HIJACK
🔗 Follow HIJACK on Instagram
6. Flattened Gnome — Tom Bob in Brooklyn, USA
A painted gnome appears flattened under a red street post. The design uses the post as part of the scene. More by Tom Bob!: 33 Artworks by Creative Genius Tom Bob (That Will Make You Smile)
🔗 Follow Tom Bob on Instagram
7. The Kiss of Death — Poblenou Cemetery, Barcelona, Spain
A marble sculpture from 1930 shows a winged skeleton kissing the forehead of a dying man. The work represents the moment between life and death, combining tenderness and fear in one gesture.
8. The Time of Monsters — (Location Unknown)
A pasted poster quoting Antonio Gramsci beside an image of the Muppets. The text reads, “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.”
More: The Weight We Carry (9 Photos)
Which one is your favorite?
Made You Smile (12 Photos)
From cats playing with street lamps in Northern Ireland to a little girl joining bronze children in a park, these clever and playful works of public art were designed to make passersby smile. Here’s a collection of murals, interventions, and sculptures that brighten with imagination and humor.
More: Clever! (10 Photos)
1. Cats Mural — Woskerski in Larne, Northern Ireland
A mural of two ginger cats, one sitting and the other reaching up toward a real lamp post, painted on the side of Ruby’s Bodega. The artwork blends with the streetlight, turning it into a toy for the cats. More!: 9 Times WOSKerski Made UK Walls Feel Like Glitches in Reality🔗 Follow Woskerski on Instagram
2. “E ‘Torre” — Giulio Masieri in Pordenone, Italy
A large mural of a reclining dog stretches across the wall of a building, its lifelike scale making the man standing nearby look small in comparison.🔗 Follow Giulio Masieri on Instagram
3. R2-D2 With Flowers — EFIX in France
A playful piece featuring R2-D2 holding flowers and a heart, placed next to a trash can as if giving it a gift. The design transforms the mundane into a humorous Star Wars-inspired scene.🔗 Follow EFIX on Instagram
4. Fake Shadows — Damon Belanger in Redwood City, California, USA
A shadow painted on the pavement shows a mailbox transformed into a dinosaur-like creature with teeth, reimagining the ordinary form in a surprising way. More!: Funny Fake Shadows! (20 Photos)🔗 Follow Damon Belanger on Instagram
5. Flashlight Beam — Golsa Golchini in Milan, Italy
A small painted figure of a child holding a flashlight appears to project a real beam of light across a wall corner, seamlessly blending painted and natural effects. More!: You Might Walk Past These—But They’re Tiny Masterpieces in Disguise🔗 Follow Golsa Golchini on Instagram
6. Googly-Eye Bollards — Vanyu Krastev in Bulgaria
Concrete street bollards with cracks and added googly eyes transformed into playful characters resembling Pac-Man figures along the sidewalk. More!: Googly-Eyed Art (17 Photos)🔗 Follow Vanyu Krastev on Instagram
7. Nadine and the Last Autumnal Swimmer — David Zinn in Ann Arbor, USA
A chalk drawing shows a small green creature swimming in a tiled pool hidden in a square of pavement among fallen autumn leaves, with a mouse perched on the ledge. More!: Beautiful Autumn By David Zinn! (9 Photos)🔗 Follow David Zinn on Instagram
8. Playing With Statues
A child in a pink dress joins hands with bronze statues of children following a violinist, blending real life with sculpture in a park setting. More!: Playing With Statues (25 photos)
9. Pipe Shoes
Street pipes painted with chalk outlines of colorful shoes, turning the fittings into playful legs against the wall.
10. Flamingo Meter — Tom Bob in Massachusetts, USA
A gas meter and pipes are painted bright pink and transformed into a flamingo. The industrial hardware becomes part of a playful street art character. More by Tom Bob!: 33 Artworks by Creative Genius Tom Bob (That Will Make You Smile)🔗 Follow Tom Bob on Instagram
11. Face in the Ruin — Nikita Nomerz
A derelict brick structure given large eyes and an open mouth painted around existing openings, turning the building into a character. More!: 17 Times Nikita Nomerz Brought Walls to Life
12. The Light Is All Around — Endo in Čačak, Serbia
Painted around a streetlamp, this mural shows an elderly man smiling and holding the lamp as if it’s a glowing staff. The golden light and warm tone enhance the friendly character’s presence. More photos here!More: Sculptures With True Creativity (10 Photos)
Which one is your favorite?
EFIX 🇫🇷 (@efixworld) • Instagram photos and videos
94K Followers, 2,619 Following, 298 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from EFIX 🇫🇷 (@efixworld)www.instagram.com
HIJACK (@hijackart) • Instagram photos and videos
55K Followers, 199 Following, 156 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from HIJACK (@hijackart)www.instagram.com
Wrong but Right: Art By Oakoak (9 Photos)
Content warning: Since 2006, French street artist Oakoak has been transforming urban spaces into playgrounds of humor and creativity. Hailing from Saint-Étienne, he finds inspiration in everyday city details—cracks in walls, bent poles, and street fixtures—to create playf
Since 2006, French street artist Oakoak has been transforming urban spaces into playgrounds of humor and creativity.
Hailing from Saint-Étienne, he finds inspiration in everyday city details—cracks in walls, bent poles, and street fixtures—to create playful and poetic interventions that engage with their surroundings. His work turns overlooked elements into unexpected moments of joy, often bringing a smile to those who pass by.
Oakoak’s art has been exhibited globally, with solo shows in cities such as Newcastle, Barcelona, and Chicago, and collaborations with renowned artists like Fra Biancoshock and Zabou. Despite his international reach, his work retains an intimate and spontaneous quality, making the world feel a little more fun and a lot more alive.
🔗 Follow Oakoak on Instagram
1.
“The Milkmaid” Reimagined
Oakoak brings Johannes Vermeer’s The Milkmaid to life in an urban setting. The artwork is seamlessly integrated with a real milk can, making it appear as though the milk is pouring into it. This clever illusion merges classical art with modern street elements.
2.
On/Off Switch
This playful street artwork creates the illusion of a massive “ON/OFF” switch embedded in the pavement. The protruding element gives the appearance of a button, making passersby want to reach down and flip it.
3.
Dancing with the Fence
Oakoak transforms a bent section of an old metal fence into a dancing figure. By adding small, round faces to the rusted metal, the artwork gives life to what was once just urban decay, turning it into a whimsical moment of movement.
4.
Balcony Illusion
In this creative piece, Oakoak uses a real iron balcony and extends it with a painted silhouette of a person standing on it. The clever placement of the figure makes it appear as if someone is leaning casually on the railing, blending reality and illusion.
5.
Pushing the Crosswalk – France
On a worn-out pedestrian crossing, small painted stick figures appear to be pushing the white stripes, playfully engaging with the faded lines as if they are part of a larger urban illusion. This intervention adds humor to a commonly overlooked street feature.
6.
Tightrope Walker
A miniature figure in a pink dress balances on a real metal chain, holding an umbrella for support. The artwork transforms an ordinary urban element into a stage for a daring tightrope act.
7.
The Fire-Breathing Dragon
In this witty urban piece, Oakoak uses fire damage on a building’s exterior to create a scene where a small red dragon appears to be the cause of the scorched wall, breathing flames upward.
8.
Charlie Chaplin Bollard
Oakoak turns a simple black bollard into a tribute to Charlie Chaplin. By adding the iconic face and hat, the mundane street fixture is transformed into a recognizable pop culture figure.
9.
Hydrant Lovebirds
In this playful and romantic intervention, Oakoak transforms two red fire hydrant pipes into a pair of lovebirds gazing at each other. With painted eyes, arms, and floating hearts above them, the pipes appear to embrace, turning an ordinary urban feature into a charming street scene.
More by Oakoak: From Homer Simpson to Obelix: Oakoak’s Genius Street Art (10 Photos)
Which is your favorite?
Lovely by Oakoak (10 Photos)
Since 2006, OAKOAK has had streets, walls, sidewalks and roads as its playground. Originally from Saint Etienne, he sticks his drawings in each of the places he crosses in order to create a smile in the pedestrian at the bend of a street where he does not expect it.
His approach consists of diverting urban elements, playing with flaws that at first glance seem of no particular interest, such as cracks in a wall. He thus adds his own vision, his own references which often relate to the geek universe. A way of imagining the urban space in a more poetic way.From playful interactions with crosswalks to whimsical depictions of beloved cartoon characters like Homer Simpson and Obelix, Oakoak’s work brings a fresh perspective to the streets.
🔗 Follow OAKOAK on Instagram
1.
Oakoak transforms a pedestrian crossing into a playful scene with Obelix carrying a menhir, blending urban infrastructure with comic creativity.
2.
Oakoak turns a natural crack in a concrete wall into a desert path for a caravan of camels.
3.
Gaston Lagaffe, painted by Oakoak, brings humor and life to the remains of a crumbling building.
4.
This crosswalk becomes a quirky playground in Oakoak’s hands, featuring cartoon faces and a 3D ghost.
5.
Oakoak uses a stop sign to highlight climate change with a polar bear stranded on melting ice.
6.
Oakoak transforms a bent metal fence into a joyful dancing figure.
7.
Marsupilami comes to life in Oakoak’s piece, swinging and peeking from an overgrown planter on a concrete wall.
8.
Oakoak incorporates a bent railing into a dynamic scene of Bruce Lee delivering a powerful kick.
9.
Oakoak humorously combines wisteria flowers with a painted Sideshow Bob.
10.
Homer Simpson hilariously interacts with real electrical wires.
OAKOAK: For me street art has to use urban elements. It’s the most important thing for street art. Using and playing with things you find in the street.
More: Wrong but Right: Art By Oakoak (9 Photos)
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oakoak (@oakoak_street_art) • Instagram photos and videos
126K Followers, 305 Following, 862 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from oakoak (@oakoak_street_art)www.instagram.com
