Muralists need a lot of things that aren't easy to come by: money, connections, and a wall for starters. Polish artist Maria Umievskaya realized she could approximate the reach of a public artist without any of these resources, using only the internet. Her virtual series juxtaposes clean modern architecture with romantic imagery inspired by Asia.
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House in Gokurakuji / Kawabe Naoya Architects
The "walls" in this case are pictures of walls, the facades of contemporary architecture from Japan, Germany and Portugal. Onto these virtual white canvases, Umievskaya superimposes her own drawings, which reflect a lifelong fascination with Japanese iconography.
Some of the renderings wouldn't be out of place in a historical picture book -- for instance, a line drawing of a Tang dynasty court lady, distinguished as such by her dress. Others are as contemporary as the buildings Umievskaya chose. The image below, for example, is of a house tagged with the face of the up-and-coming Japanese model Chiharu Okunugi, surrounded by chrysanthemum blossoms.
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HouseK / Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects
"Murals transforms city into an art gallery for everyone [sic]," Umievskaya wrote in an email to HuffPost, explaining her interest in the genre. Scroll down for a tour through her fantastical city, which could only exist online.
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Paramos House / Atelier Nuno Lacerda Lopes
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Cube Court House / Shinichi Ogawa & Associates
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House on the Hostert / Uwe Schröder Architekt
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Casa NN / Kozo Yamamoto
The "walls" in this case are pictures of walls, the facades of contemporary architecture from Japan, Germany and Portugal. Onto these virtual white canvases, Umievskaya superimposes her own drawings, which reflect a lifelong fascination with Japanese iconography.
Some of the renderings wouldn't be out of place in a historical picture book -- for instance, a line drawing of a Tang dynasty court lady, distinguished as such by her dress. Others are as contemporary as the buildings Umievskaya chose. The image below, for example, is of a house tagged with the face of the up-and-coming Japanese model Chiharu Okunugi, surrounded by chrysanthemum blossoms.
"Murals transforms city into an art gallery for everyone [sic]," Umievskaya wrote in an email to HuffPost, explaining her interest in the genre. Scroll down for a tour through her fantastical city, which could only exist online.
