High Five: 5 artists who play with your mind
Sometimes you have to look at an artwork twice to really understand how surreal it actually is. These artists have specialized in the art of illusions.
French artist duo Minimiam
Photographers Akiko Ida and Pierre Javelle met while working on cookbooks, but that became too boring for them after a while. So now they play with food in the images they create. The duo invents edible worlds with mini figures who might use an avocado as a half-pipe, shave a kiwi or climb a mountain of butter.
Sculptor David Oliveira
His canvasses have a third dimension. Seen in the right perspective, the works of Portuguese artist David Oliveira look like scribbled pencil sketches. Yet they are made with wire sculpted directly in the air, adding an unexpected dimension to the figures he portrays, and tricking viewers in a poetic way.
Photographer Frank Kunert
German artist Frank Kunert is not only a photographer, he's also the creator of detailed miniature worlds with an absurd touch. The spaces in his photos appear unexceptional at first glance, yet a further look reveals impossible setups — springboards above grandstands or children's slides leading directly into a lion's cage.
Body painter Johannes Stötter
Animals are the first masters of camouflage. Italian body painter Johannes Stötter was inspired by their art as well. The body painter manages to make his models blend into almost any background — a wooden wall, a wicker chair or even an entire landscape. He even turns some of his models into animals that look deceptively real.
Photographer Erik Johansson
Swedish photographer Erik Johansson starts out with photos of landscapes. In his studio, he then works on capturing details that will create a surreal impression once they are digitally merged onto the natural scenery. Here, a woman sews a white blanket of snow onto the earth.