Unreal Moments (9 Photos)
9 Unexpected illusions. Playful distortions. Familiar scenes reimagined. In this collection, artists from across the globe bend reality with paint, sculpture, and wit—placing a giraffe in a city block, turning bollards into Pac-Man, and handing Darth Vader a fishing pole. Scroll through eight moments that feel too unreal to be true, yet are all hiding in plain sight.
More: 12 Times I Found Street Art Cleverly Using Its Surroundings
1. Giraffe Eating the Plants — Jan Is De Man in Utrecht, Netherlands
A hyperrealistic giraffe emerges from the side of a residential building to nibble on balcony plants. Painted with seamless depth, the mural merges nature with the urban landscape in a scene that feels entirely possible—until you blink. More!:8 Happy 3D Artworks by Jan Is De Man
🔗 Follow Jan Is De Man on Instagram
2. Darth Fisher — Frankey in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Under a quiet bridge in Amsterdam, Darth Vader sits patiently fishing—with a glowing red lightsaber. This unexpected sculpture by Frankey turns the Star Wars villain into a calm waterside figure, lit eerily by the blade’s red reflection. More!: 6 pics – Darth Fisher (by Frankey in Amsterdam)
🔗 Follow Frankey on Instagram
3. Surf and Sand Club — John Pugh in Hermosa Beach, California, USA
This large-scale mural splits open the side of a building to reveal a retro beach scene. The faux 3D illusion draws you into the architecture itself, transforming the wall into a cliffside resort. More photos!: ‘Here Yesterday’ – Amazing 3D Mural in Hermosa Beach, California!
🔗 Follow John Pugh on Instagram
4. 3D Painted Turtle — Hebsart in Akumal, Mexico
Using both wall and floor space, this colorful sea turtle appears to float mid-air. The body is painted in striking blues, greens, and reds, enhanced by a realistic shadow that anchors the illusion. More!: 6 Walls Where Hebs Art Left Something You Can Still Feel
🔗 Follow Hebsart on Instagram
5. A Photo Opportunity — WOSKerski in London, UK
A surreal mural of giant yellow pencils scattered in a greyscale mountain landscape. Tourists pose for pictures among the pencils, blending fantasy and street culture in this illusion created for SprayExhibition20. More!: 9 Times WOSKerski Made UK Walls Feel Like Glitches in Reality
🔗 Follow WOSKerski on Instagram
6. Tea Time Illusion — Yip Yew Chong in Singapore
A mural that spills out of itself—literally. Painted cups catch flowing tea from a teapot, while birds and laundry float between windows. The placement of shadows and spillage turns a flat wall into a dimensional scene. See it all!: Beautiful Street Art in Chinatown, Singapore (15 pics +video)
🔗 Follow Yip Yew Chong on Instagram
7. Matryoshka Truck
A cement truck painted like a Russian nesting doll rolls down a street, turning industrial machinery into playful visual art. The result: a moving sculpture that breaks expectations in traffic.
8. Hungry Bollards — Vanyu Krastev in Bulgaria
Concrete sidewalk spheres in Bulgaria transformed into hungry Pac-Man characters with just a pair of googly eyes. Artist Vanyu Krastev is known for bringing humor to urban decay by giving broken infrastructure a personality. More!: Googly-Eyed Art (17 Photos)
🔗 Follow Vanyu Krastev on Instagram
9. Flow of Life — Ty Mural Guy in Trail, BC, Canada
A 3D-style mural depicting interconnected hands catching and passing flowing water, symbolizing generosity and shared care. The composition bends perspective with cascading movement and geometric shapes that extend the illusion of space.
🔗 Follow Ty Mural Guy on Instagram
More: 30 Sculptures You (probably) Didn’t Know Existed
Which one is your favorite?
Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.Instagram
12 Times I Found Street Art Cleverly Using Its Surroundings
Street art can surprise, amuse, and captivate by turning everyday objects into clever visual puns.
Today, I’m sharing 12 remarkable pieces from around the globe where artists creatively incorporated their urban environments into humorous and thoughtful artworks.From cute sketches in cracks on walls to inventive interactions with poles, trees, and bushes, here are some of the cleverest street art examples I’ve encountered.
More: 8 Beautiful Artworks That Seem to Grow From Nature
1. Natalia Rak’s mural in Białystok, Poland
This vibrant mural depicts a large-scale image of a girl carefully watering an actual tree growing next to the building, blending reality and art seamlessly.More: Natalia Rak: The Muralist Turning Walls Into Masterpieces
2. Pavel Puhov’s Street Art
Two large painted eyeglass frames drawn onto snow, humorously framing passersby as if they are wearing giant spectacles.More by Pavel!: Street Art by Pavel Puhov – A Collection (7 photos)
3. OakOak’s humorous wall art
A tiny caravan of camels painted on a cracked wall, cleverly using the crack to represent a desert landscape.
4. Playful Pipes in Leipzig, Germany
Street pipes creatively transformed into colorful legs wearing detailed socks and sneakers, adding playful character to ordinary fixtures.
5. Green Hairstyle Mural by Nuxuno Xän in Fort De France, Martinique
A mural realistically depicting a person using actual foliage as hair, humorously combing it with a painted comb.
6. Affectionate Dog in Olsztyn, Poland
Using chipped wall paint to create the dog’s body, this charming artwork shows a simple drawn dog lovingly sniffing a bird.
7.Loving Electrical Boxes in Olsztyn, Poland
Two electrical boxes humorously painted by Adam Okuciejewski and Szymon Czarnowski with eyes and arms, embracing each other warmly.
8. Le CyKlop Pillars in Paris
Street bollards colorfully painted to resemble animated cartoon characters, bringing lively cheerfulness to a street.More!: Le CyKlop Turning the Ordinary into One-Eyed Wonders
9. Leaning Tower of Pisa in Philadelphia, USA
A slanted street pole cleverly painted to resemble the Leaning Tower of Pisa, creatively transforming an everyday object.
10. Giant Hand by Dome in Karlsruhe, Germany
A large pillar under a bridge creatively painted by Dome as a giant hand, cleverly appearing to hold up the bridge.
11. Jonna Pohjalainen’s Colored Logs in Turku, Finland
Fallen tree logs artistically carved and painted by Jonna Pohjalainen to resemble giant colorful pencils, blending art and nature beautifully.
12. Accordion Boy
A small stencil of a child holding an accordion is painted around a real wall vent, cleverly using the metal grate as the instrument.More: 11 Brilliant Bird Murals That Bring Nature to the Streets
Which one is your favorite?
