Long before Banksy became the poster boy for deviant street art, graffiti artists have
been wowing pedestrians for decades, turning the notion of traditional art on its head by
making it more accessible to the masses while conveying a social message meant to stop people
in their tracks. Although they also serve as a stunning backdrop for those IG-worthy snaps,
so, win-win! Time to unravel these 13 Amazing Street Art that will Blow Your Mind.
What’s up, fact-natics! This is Discovery Amuse,
serving up your daily dose of the most outrageous, outlandish, and out-of-this-world fun facts!
Our number one pick will surely make you do a double take so make sure to stick around for that!
Ready your cameras! #13: 3D Fantasy
These murals you’re about to see already look absolutely dope on first glance. But there’s
literally more to them than meets the eye. With the help of some simple 3D glasses,
watch as these incredible images turn out to be 2 distinct artworks!
Greek graffiti artist Stathis Tsavalias, who goes by the monicker Insane51, is considered one of the
pioneers of modern 3D street art. To achieve his unique artworks, he uses an intricate
spray painting style called Double Exposure 3D. He overlaps two images, one in red and one in blue,
to create this three-dimensional optical illusion that changes depending on which color of the
stereoscopic glasses you look through. Humans turn into skeletons, Stormtrooper
transforms into Finn, and even Thanos magically changes to Iron Man! Sweet!
From Aruba and China, to New Zealand and the US, Insane51’s trippy murals can be found
all over the world! So head on over to his socials to know where you can spot
one of his ingenious masterpieces. Keep watching because our top 1 pick is so
elusive, it only shows itself twice a day! #12: Pixelated Art
Now here’s an artist after my own heart. He makes freaking 8-bit characters come
to life out on the streets of Sweden! Swedish conceptual artist Johan Karlgren,
also known as Pappas Pärlor, creates pixel artworks of our beloved cartoon and video
game characters using beads. He then installs his art pieces on the streets or random places like
sandboxes and grassy riverbanks to make them look like they’re interacting with the environment.
Check out these artworks that look straight out of the Pixels movie!
From Mario characters to Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man… he
even recreated that famous Joker staircase scene!
It’s an 8-bit invasion! Man: Whatever you’re doing,
please hurry up. #11: Living Walls
Breathing new life to abandoned structures and proving that the whole world is your canvas,
is none other than Russian urban artist Nikita Nomerz.
Nikita travels around Russian cities searching for old towers,
crumbling brick walls, and rusty metal pipes, then transforms them into anthropomorphic objects…
just like the Toothyman with falling teeth, the Tower Man looking like Gandalf watching over the
town, and the Big Brother with windows for eyes! Nikita: Once I was strolling along the embankment
and I saw this object. An at once I got the idea that it resembled a face.
But Nikita is not just a one-trick-pony because he can also spray up traditional graffiti infused
with social commentary. #10: Natural Wonders
Anonymous Belgian street artist who only goes by the name of ROA is a man on a mission;
to save mother nature one mural at a time. His provocative, monochromatic artworks
mostly show animals depicted in various phases of the natural life cycle,
in the hopes of creating awareness towards these species we usually take for granted.
Roa: I have a fascination for nature, biology and animals. I painted a pangolin.
It is an animal unknown to most people, he is extremely endangered.
Some of his murals also depict animals endemic to that specific place, seemingly trapped within the
architectural confines of the urban jungle. With his works of art, ROA also likes to
challenge spectators to engage in conversations about climate change,
just like with his exhibition called Annihilation. Roa: We live in a moment where a lot of things are
happening to the planet, to nature, to different environments, and I think that on itself kind of
inspired me to use that word. #9: Giants in the City
Giant humanoids are invading the streets of Italy! It’s a real-life Attack on Titan! But wait,
before you call on Eren, Mikasa and the rest of the gang, these are just photorealistic
portraits by Milan-based artist Cosimo Caiffa. Cosimo uses a unique 3D technique that makes
his paintings look like they’re interacting with the objects and people around them.
Some of his works feature giant humans looking like they’re splashing paint on the road, or
supersized animals that lurk on curbside walls. But most of them just looks so darn realistic
that they seem to defy the laws of space and perspective when viewed from a specific angle!
Like how does that lady look like she’s holding the lamp post like a freaking magic wand?
#8: Escapist Fantasy Dreamy, childlike, and whimsical,
are just some of the words that come to mind when you catch sight of the unique outdoor creations
of Brazilian twin artists Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo, collectively known as Os Gemeos.
These talented brothers showcase their “escapist fantasy” art through large-scale murals featuring
yellow-skinned characters, just like this masked figure painted on a 70-foot building wall in Dewey
Square that has polarized a lot of Bostonians. Woman: I told them I thought it was horrifying.
Man : I gotta admit, it has kind of a terrorist thing going.
But why do they mostly use yellow? It’s because this color is easy to spot from a distance when
you’re out on the street. These yellow characters are actually part of their self-made fantasy world
they call “Trite.” The creative duo are also heavily influenced by Brazilian folklore,
hip-hop culture, and political commentary. Gustavo: I think this is the role of art, to make
people feel emotion, to reflect upon something. #7: Social Activism
When Athens-based Indonesian artist Wild Drawing created this mural called
“The Last are Lost from the List,” he wanted to raise awareness on the deforestation of the
Amazon rainforest. Today, it’s considered one of the most important street murals in modern times.
Social activism runs deep within Wild Drawing’s stunningly surreal works of art.
Combining elements of realism and comic book-style aesthetics, Wild Drawing’s
outdoor installations can be seen on condemned houses, large buildings and
abandoned walls all over Asia, Europe and America. Some of his more notable, thought-provoking works
include this mural called Give Peace a Chance, Life Cycle, and TimeHole, all located in Greece.
#6: 3D Street Art
When it comes to hyper-realistic 3D street art, two artists have taken the world by storm.
One of them is Kurt Wenner, who’s basically the father of 3D pavement art.
His style is a combination of contemporary art, traditional street painting techniques
and innovative geometry, that altogether invoke a sense of whimsical realism.
Good luck not getting light-headed when you view some of his artwork from a specific perspective!
Another 3D street artist who has carved out a name for himself is German chalk artist Edgar Müller,
a.k.a. the maestro madonnari or “master street painter.” I mean, just look at this piece called
“The Crevasse” that will make you feel like you’re walking over the edge of an icy cliff!
This piece called Duality looks like there’s a hidden gigantic waterfall that was just revealed
from underground. On one alley, Müller made the whole road look like a massive volcanic cliff
crumbling down to the ocean! Edgar: Sometimes you have to say,
“That’s it.” Because I can always add something but you can also ruin the whole painting.
You better “mind the gap” when you walk along these streets, or your brain might
just play tricks on you. #5: Drilled Murals
Renowned Portuguese urban artist Alexandre Farto, also known as Vhils,
is making his mark in the most unusual way… by creating art through destruction.
Instead of brushes and spray paints, Vhils’ weapon of choice are drills,
explosives and jackhammers in creating his stunning pieces of textured outdoor art.
Vhils: All your dreams, all your expectations of life, or expectations of happiness,
of freedom, of so many other things are shaped by everything that surrounds us.
He first paints over the dilapidated walls and sketches the different depths, before carving
it out using his power tools. For Vhils, part of the excitement is the unpredictable nature of the
materials used in the walls he turns into canvas. One of his most significant works is the portrait
of well-known human rights advocate and politician from Rio de Janeiro named
Marielle Franco. This was part of Amnesty International’s drive to use street art in raising
awareness about human rights defenders like Franco, who was fatally shot in March of 2018.
#4: Neon Spray Art Would you believe that
these phenomenal neon graffiti were created with nothing but spray paint? Even better, they seem to
illuminate in broad daylight! #mindblown! Brooklyn-based artist Adam Fujita,
a.k.a. Adam Fu, is a pro at that. Using a technique call “dusting,” he’s able to create
the illusion of illumination. And then he paints on a black shadow to trick the eyes into thinking
the letters and images are floating. For Adam, his neon art is a metaphor
for “keeping the lights on” in Trump’s America. Through his artworks, he makes a bold stance on
police violence, gender issues, women’s rights, corporate greed, and a lot of other social issues.
#3: Clever Street Art If there’s one thing street
artist Tom Bob believes in, it’s that art shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
Since 2013, Tom has been reimagining mundane, often forgotten objects in public spaces,
and has turned them into art installations meant to put a smile in everyone’s faces.
He has cleverly transformed objects like poles, air ducts, railings, walls, and even rocks around
New York into whimsical creatures that are straight out of a 5-year-old’s playful mind.
Princess Leia fire hydrant, anyone? He has painted curb stops to look like KitKat
bars, pipes as worms and snakes, electrical boxes as bodies of flamingos and ostriches,
a stack of barrels as billiard balls, and sewer covers as Pac Man characters. Tom’s
imagination sure knows no bounds! #2: Augmented Reality
This is not an actual toilet in the middle of the street.
Nor is this kid trapped inside an enormous box of Hot Wheels.
And if you think these are actual giant-sized Lego bricks slowly forming a heart… think again.
Blurring the line between fantasy and reality is Dutch pop-surrealist artist Leon Keer,
who’s become one of the biggest names in anamorphic street art.
Leon: The biggest challenge is to convert a small 2-dimensional sketch
into this big large 3D version of distortion. But before you dismiss his works as
pedestrian--pun intended—Leon has even upped his street art game by incorporating technology.
See this mural of tea cups? Through his own app, you could actually see the tea cups topple down
and shatter right in front of your eyes! Thanks to the magic of augmented reality and video mapping!
Talk about groundbreaking! Before we go to our number 1 pick,
do us a solid and make sure to smash the subscribe button and hit the notification bell!
Don’t forget to choose “all” so you won’t miss out on any of our latest life-changing,
boredom-busting content! And of course, be sure to turn on notifications in your app’s settings!
#1: Ocean Murals A remote sea wall found on
the Bay of Fundy in Saint John, Canada, has a beautiful secret that unveils itself only
twice a day. I’m talking about a mural created by Hawaii-born surfer-slash-artist Sean Yoro.
Known for painting in dangerous places, Sean doesn’t really reveal his works’
exact locations to avoid legal risks. But this one is an exception since it was
commissioned by the tourism department itself. Sean says one of the biggest struggles in
making his ocean murals is the unpredictable current that makes it more difficult for him
to paint while standing on his paddleboard. Sean: This made balancing on my paddleboard
that much harder especially after these long 12-hour painting sessions when my
legs and core would be completely exhausted. I feel you man, it’s not easy painting on those
walls, shipwrecks and waterfalls, especially with your shirt off. But hey, someone’s gotta do it!
So, which of these exquisite street art was your favorite?
Let us know in the comments section below. Take home any of our exclusive gear by browsing
our merch shelf or clicking the link in the video description! And while you’re at it, take
our quiz to find out how you can earn extra cash online doing what you do best! Awesome, right!
If you thought these street artists were gangbusters,
then prepare to be gobsmacked by the 11 Most Ingenious Workers in the World!
‘Til then, stay artistic, fact-natics! And see you in the next video!