These astonishing optical illusion artworks made me gasp

Inspiration
By published

Based in Barcelona, this artist is seriously talented.

Barcelona photo
(Image credit: Alexander Spatari via Getty Images)

An artist is gathering major social media likes for his incredible 3D murals that function like the best optical illusions. The work, which takes days to create, features a huge range of scenes, from dramatic crevices that feel like you're going to fall into them (below) to huge ships that appear to be coming out of walls.

Artist Mark Rox, or pop.art.pov on Instagram, posts fascinating videos showing his process painting murals in spaces including the street, museums and more. See his work below, then explore his Instagram page to marvel at more of his creations. Watch out for the amazing 3D car coming out of a wall, and the creepy cave complete with giant skull that has red eyes.

It's some of the most intricate mural artwork I've seen, and I'd love to go and see it in real life – much of it is located in Barcelona. It's unusual to get a glimpse into the process of an artist in this way, so the videos are extra captivating – so often we only get to see the finished project.

Comments are equally as impressed with responses ranging from "Wow did you scale this with such high precision? This is very impressive. Wow! Just wow!" to "Patience, dedication, and ambition are the ingredients that always lead to something truly remarkable. This artist is proof of that."

Seeing an optical illusion in real life like this is a rarity as we often see them on the screen. Another artist making unusual optical illusion art is this one who makes sculptures out of salvaged objects like toys. Imagine putting those two forms together to create an immersive optical illusion scene.

Georgia Coggan
Georgia Coggan
Editor

Georgia has worked on Creative Bloq since 2018, and has been the site's Editor since 2023. With a specialism in branding and design, Georgia is also Programme Director of CB's award scheme – the Brand Impact Awards. As well as immersing herself with the industry through attending events like Adobe Max and the D&AD Awards and steering the site's content streams, Georgia has an eye on new commercial opportunities and ensuring they reflect the needs and interests of creatives.

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