Art of War: 20 Awesome Gun and Bullet Artworks

There are artists who work with paint and clay, and then there are artists who create bizarre and thought-provoking art from slightly less conventional materials to prove a point. This collection features sculptures made from guns and bullets, high-speed bullet photography, illustrations of what happens when bullets pierce flesh and even drawings made by shooting at metal and paper with a sub-machine gun.

Reliquaries Made of Guns and Ammunition

(images via: Al Farrow)

Artist Al Farrow combined religious imagery with guns and bullets to startling effect in his 2001 series, ‘Reliquaries’. The sculptures are an ironic play on the medieval cult of the relic as well as a statement about continued ties between war and religion. Farrow says that in the making of these pieces, he was absolutely astonished at the ease with which one can procure huge amounts of gun related paraphernalia.

High-Speed Bullet Photography

(images via: David Neff)

Photographer David Neff keeps his techniques top secret, declining to divulge any details as to how he captures such amazing images. In this series of high-speed bullet photography, he fires .22 bullets at various objects like pears, crayons and cigarettes and takes the photo just as the bullet is grazing or passing through them. The result is a visually stunning reminder of just how destructive bullets can be.

Furniture and Sculpture Made from Discarded Cambodian Weapons

(images via: fresh home)

Sculptor Sasha Constable saw opportunity in the 125,000 weapons that were discarded by the Cambodian government after 30 years of war. Constable, along with a small arms specialist with the European Union, used the guns to create furniture and sculptures in The Peace Art Project Cambodia (PAPC) in November 2003. Among the items created were a coffee table, dining chair, settee, rocking chair and elephant sculpture.

Life Size Wax Figures with Cannon Wounds

(image via: aeroplastics.net)

Two life size male and female wax statues give us an idea of just how damaging a 20mm cannon wound really is in “A Memory of Matter” by Petroc Dragon Sesti. In these works, Sesti sought to explore “the stillness of terminal violence”. The figures were made in collaboration with the British Army, created from hard wax heated to human body temperature to reveal a moment of mutilation frozen in time.

Art Made with Submachine Guns, Rocket Fuel and Pyrotechnics

(image via: Connect Savannah)

Matt Stromberg is not your typical art professor. The Savannah College of Art and Design professor of sculpture uses anything but typical materials and methods in his work. Stromberg began wondering if he could carve with a submachine gun after watching a colleague work with a pneumatic chisel, which makes similar sounds while in use. That led to his current projects, in which he ‘sculpts’ metal panels with rocket fuel, explosives, pyrotechnics, propellants and, yes, bullets.  Stromberg had to go through special training and get licensed to use these materials.

“I think it’s really a fancy way of doing what every artist does,” Stromberg says. “The result is the same as if I grabbed a chunk of charcoal and drew on paper I was going to detonate.”

Bullet Hole as Abstract Montage

(image via: Saatchi Gallery)

If you didn’t know what you were looking at, this piece by Mat Collishaw might look like some kind of abstract painting. Then you realize it’s hair, skin and the gore left behind by a speeding bullet. It’s one large photo made up of 15 frames, mounted on light boxes for extra in-your-face effect.  Of the image, taken from a pathology textbook, Collishaw says, “There’s a religious beauty and animal sexuality in something so abhorrent.” Not all would agree, but it’s a powerful image nonetheless.

“Bullet Proof Vest” Created from Bullets

(images via: Art from the Soul)

Artist Ross Rodriquez made this ‘bulletproof vest’ with 30 caliber rifle shells. The artist, who usually works in printmaking and film, often explores the theme of gun violence in urban America.

Bullet Elephant

(image via: Derek Farr)

Spotted by Derek Farr at the Detroit Zoo, this elephant is a little… different than the ones roaming around outside. It’s a sculpture created by Mary Engel, who says of her creation, ” Elephants have become endangered due to the “gold” of the elephant, its ivory tusks. The bullets which make this sculpture are beautiful but menacing, as they remind us of humans’ destruction of exotic creatures”.

Subversive Works of Urban Guerrilla Street Art

It’s all too easy to get stuck in a routine, walking through the city on autopilot without even noticing what’s around you. Urban guerrilla street artists seek to shake things up, force you to take a second look, change your preconceptions about your everyday surroundings. These ten artists use the streets as an untapped setting for personal artwork, call attention to social issues and question what kind of behavior is ‘appropriate’ in elevators, subways and retail stores.

Street Art That Makes You Look Twice by Mark Jenkins

(images via: xmarkjenkinsx)

Ducks made of packing tape, floating in a puddle. A man seemingly putting his head through a concrete wall. The startling contrast of cheerful balloons tied to what looks like a dead body. These are all among the creative urban art installations that come from the mind of street artist Mark Jenkins, who treats public space like one big blank canvas.

Jenkins told art critic Brian Sherwin, “There is opposition, and risk, but I think that just shows that street art is the sort of frontier where the leading edge really does have to chew through the ice. And it’s good for people to remember public space is a battleground, with the government, advertisers and artists all mixing and mashing, and even now the strange cross-pollination taking place as street artists sometimes become brands, and brands camouflaging as street art creating complex hybrids or impersonators.”

Curbside Cabinet Trojan Horse

(image via: Lucas Murgida)

It seemed like an especially lucky curbside find: a nice, modern, brand-new cabinet left on the sidewalk for somebody to claim and take home. But, it wasn’t any ordinary cabinet. Artist Lucas Murgida hid inside and waited until he was taken to a private space to emerge.

Of the project, Murgida said, “Often the city seems to be ours alone to experience and we assume that it is in turn ours for the taking. This sensibility is made evident in the U.S. by the often-quoted phrase, ‘Possession is 9/10 of the law.’ This means that the person who is not in possession of an item must prove that it is rightfully theirs… A person is not sure how to look at the object at first, but will usually fall back on the golden rule of U.S. culture (finders keepers, losers weepers) and claim it to be theirs. I am hoping to subvert the ‘finder’s’ personal space by claiming it to be my own public space.”

Subtle Yet Subersive Art Interventions by SpY

(images via: dornob)

Spanish artist SpY subtly alters ordinary objects in urban environments, sometimes to make a statement and sometimes just for the fun of it. He describes his work as a “playful reappropriation of urban elements”, replicating them or transforming them in his studio and then installing them in the streets. He seeks to break through the automated monotony of everyday urban life and get people to notice things as if for the first time.

An Army of Fake Best Buy Employees

(images via: Improv Everywhere)

Best Buy from ImprovEverywhere on Vimeo.

It was a fairly simple experiment: inserting dozens of people dressed like employees into a Manhattan Best Buy to see what would happen. The group Improv Everywhere gathered volunteers together, asked them to wear khakis and a very specific shade of blue polo shirt, and smuggled cameras inside the store to film the reaction. The ‘agents’ simply spread out in the store and stood around. If customers asked them a question, they answered as best they could. If employees asked what they were doing, they replied, “I’m waiting on a friend.”

As expected, the real Best Buy employees were confused at first… but then they became frightened. Convinced that the prank was some kind of elaborate heist, one frantic employee began shrieking “Thomas Crown Affair! Thomas Crown Affair!” Their hidden camera rig was discovered and the security guard called 911. All because a group of people were wearing blue polo shirts and khakis.

Subway Swing Disguised as a Bag

(images via: Conflux Festival)

Paranoia reigns on New York City subways, but one artist wanted to bring back fun, innocence and laughter. So, flouting the “if you see something, say something” dictate of the Transportation Authority, she created a swing disguised as a bag that can be hooked around the handrail.

“I hope that the innocent amusement of swinging on the subway eclipses the atmosphere of suspicion and insulation that random searches (and the motto “if you see something say something”) produces. May playful engagement in public space provide a plausible alternative to the monotony of routine!”

Trash: Any Color You Like

(images via: anycoloryoulike)

Neon pink with white polka dots certainly help trash bags stand out from their surroundings, highlighting just how many of them there really are in an urban environment. It also provides a pop of bright, fun color in what can otherwise be a dreary cityscape. New York-based artist Adrian Kondratowicz has distributed these biodegradable bags around New York City and in several countries around the world, hoping to raise environmental awareness and beautify urban spaces at the same time.

The Random Lift Button

(image via: arch-os)

Do you always need to know exactly where you’re going? Sometimes, it’s therapeutic to give into chaos and randomness. Chris Speed of Arch-OS created the ‘random lift button’ so you can remove yourself from the system that has placed a premium on time and space, aimlessly wandering so as to enjoy a more complete experience.

Arch-OS explains, “Lifts become a temporal slippage in the experience of a building as a whole, we skip space and avoid people, places and the opportunity to see the ‘whole’. Indeed corridors and stairwells are recognized as the most important social spaces within businesses and many more negotiations and affairs occur between office spaces than within them.”

Trees Transformed into Giant Carrots

(image via: Ads of the World)

With the simple addition of ridged orange containers, six tall and thin trees in Portland were transformed instantly into carrots, luring passers-by to read the stickers – advertising a local farmer’s market – and salivate over the thought of crisp, fresh produce. This installation was a subtle advertisement, but also added a sense of whimsy to an otherwise unremarkable urban street.

Literal ‘Street Art’ by Roadsworth

(images via: Jalopnik)

The street itself is a blank canvas offering virtually unlimited opportunities for artistic expression, whether to communicate, beautify or engage. Street artist Roadsworth takes full advantage of this space, and his work has evolved over the years from anti-car sentiments in his hometown of Montreal to fun, ironic and sometimes thought-provoking imagery.

FILEangels Deliver Kits for Traffic Jam Fun

(images via: Guerilla Innovation)

When you’re stuck in a traffic jam, you tend to sit around, bored and impatient, waiting for the chance to get out. A Dutch group of architects called Artgineering doesn’t see why we shouldn’t relax and have some fun while we’re waiting. The group had motorcycle-riding ‘FILEangels’ distribute ‘FILEkits’ (file is Dutch for traffic jam) containing items like a water pistol, a bible and a condom to bored motorists free of charge. The idea was to turn a negative situation into a positive one, giving motorists a reason to step out of their cars and interact with each other.

Awesome Messiness: Incredible Sloppy Artwork

It takes a special kind of person to actively pursue a messy career, be they a port-o-potty cleaner or a technician on an oil rig. Messy artists, you know, ones who cherish a sloppy line here and a paint splotch there, their canvases falling apart at the weight of their paint, belong in those ranks. And while the simple beauty of a clean line is certainly something to be cherished, so are the messy splotches of these dirty artists.

Angels With Dirty Faces

(images via Mike Booker)

(image via Mark Welsh)

(image via Paul Leli)

“The eyes are the window to the soul,” goes the famous Proverb. So when a messy artist takes to messing up those eyes, and the rest of a person’s face, what we find staring back at us is scary. Grotesque faces can really be terrifying. They can evoke pity, anger, sadness and confusion. Whatever feeling provoked in the viewer, however, one thing can be sure — as long as the viewer is feeling SOMETHING, the artist succeeds. And be sure that a messily painted face is near impossible to leave a viewer cold and unemotional.

Smudgy Stars

(image via Paul Leli)

(images via Paul Leli and Lichiban)

(images via Paul Leli)

And when that messy face is someone familiar, like a celebrity? Those emotions get all mixed up with conflicting feelings of familiarity and adoration and disgust and interest and whatever else that particular celebrity makes you feel. Depicting famous people in a demented manner is a great way for artists to grab hold of the neck of our pop ‘n celebrity-obsessed culture and shake it and squeeze it while yelling “Hey! Look at me! I can paint pretty well!”

Abstract Mess

(images via Listen04)

And when you remove the faces and the celebrity and you’re left with gooey primitive sludge… what feelings are evoked then? Without the complicated emotions that are borne out of a demented, terrifying face, you’re left with the same feeling both children and cave painters share — JOY.

“Our real discoveries come from chaos, from going to the place that looks wrong and stupid and foolish.” –  Chuck Palahniuk

Larger than Life: 10 Giant Portraits and Sculptures

Portrait artists all have their own ideas about what makes for a great portrait: something that glorifies the subject, something that shows it in harsh realistic detail, or something that reflects the essence of the subject. Others take all these options, and add one more: make it big. Whether for effect or out of necessity because of the size of the canvas, here are 10 of the most interesting and mind bogglingly large portraits:

(Images via zimbio, trickyrelativity, expect neglect, journallive)

Ron Mueck likes his portraits to be incredibly realistic, and big. He creates titanic pieces out of cutting edge materials that lend an eerie affect. His self portraits are detailed to the point that he includes stubble and the pores in their skin. Small wrinkles and incredible expressions make the subject feel like they’re viewing a giant, not a sculpture.

(Images via djdesign, shoutworldwide, timwilson, johntebeau)

Chuck Close is a phenomenon. With his hyper realistic and larger than life portraits, he forces the viewer to examine the subject in closer detail than they would ever in everyday life. Due to this close examination, the viewer ends up seeing the subject more than they would if they’d actually met in person. Chuck Close loves to experiment with his own style, but even after years, he hasn’t tired of portraiture.

(Images via behance)

Rems182 and Truly design have created a series of beautiful murals that incorporate with their environment. With the use of a paint roller, Rems182 is able to create emotionally stirring works that capture the essence of their subjects, and elevate the environment around them.

(Images via oberholtzer)

A Kenyan photographer has created a gigantic exhibition of his work that’s so large it’s hardly visible from the ground. The photographer has taken portrait shots of his subjects and blown them up to the point that low flying planes would get their own art show.

(Images via meathaus, livemakecreate, artnet, hyperrealism)

Evan Penny fell in with the hyper realism portraiture crowd, but he’s well known for exploring a different facet than most: he creates three dimensional portraits out of silicone and other high tech materials that are typically only seen on film sets. His creations are so lifelike, that if they weren’t hanging on the wall, one might accidentally strike up a conversation with one.

(Images via fighting ignorance, face2faceproject, yopeace, nabeelzeeshan)

The Face 2 Face Project is an attempt to help cool hostilities in the Israeli / Palestine conflict by showing both sides that the other are not the faceless enemy they’d like to believe. Artists take photos of people from both sides of the wall and then display them on the same wall that’s separating the groups, so both sides can still see the other.

(Images via noddit, telegraph, barackobama)

President Obama stirred a lot of sentiments with his speeches on the campaign trail, and his motto of “Hope.” Many artists took this to heart, and created portraits that reflected the size of his persona and influence. One such exhibit was so large that it can not be seen from ground level. This art is only for the clouds to see.

(Images via vocalmoon, woostercollective, kognitif, curbsandstoops)

The renowned artist Jorge Rodriguez Gerada has gained a worldwide reputation for his hyper realistic portraits created on some of the largest canvases possible – buildings. His murals manage to maintain quality despite an uneven work surface and a scale that doesn’t allow him to concentrate on anything but the smallest facial feature at a time.

(Images via mountshang, scandigital, swifttaxi)

Ancient cultures would often create works of art of such a grand scale that they make our typical pieces seem trivial in comparison. There are more modern artists who like to follow in these civilization’s footsteps, however, by carving their art out of an entire rock face. It is extremely difficult to see the big picture when your entire body is smaller than the nose of your art.

(Images via nokiaconversations, paddydonnelly, topartnews)

Portraits don’t just have to be painted, as a lot of innovative artists enjoy using unique, recycled materials for their art. The portraits featured here are made of discarded nokia phones, post it notes, and even paintbrushes.

Mark Reigelman’s Playful & Thought-Provoking Urban Art

As colorful as life in the city can be, things aren’t always rosy – especially in gloomy, grimy neighborhoods where everything seems to be hard, cold and monochromatic. But if artist Mark Reigelman had his way, we’d all go about our days a bit more cheerfully thanks to unexpected urban art installations that perch glass birds on telephone poles, turn fire hydrants into flower vases and transform bus stops into cozy homes.

After all, there’s something joyous about a bunch of flowers, however humble in their paper wrappings – which is why Reigelman chose to model his ‘wrap planters’ after exactly that shape. 18 of these curving concrete planters line the streets in Cleveland, making up one of his rare permanent installations. Reigelman prefers the spontaneity and freedom of temporary installations, but some are more fleeting than others, like the guerrilla redecorated bus shelter that was torn down by city workers the very next day.

“Some people call it being creative, other call it being crazy,”Reigelman told Inside Out. “I have always been creative(crazy) although I did not realize I could be creative(crazy) for a living until my junior year in high school. Once my art teacher told me, ‘Mark, you can do this as a career’, my whole life changed. I think my exact response was, ‘Ms. B, are you f#*@ing serious?!’”

In addition to urban installations, Reigelman creates gallery pieces that are equal parts product design and commentary – albeit tongue-in-cheek. His ‘Shadows’ series of stainless steel wall-mountedbookshelves in the shape that the books’ shadow would create is subtitled “Assigning Function to Shadows.” To “Happiness is a Warm Gun (Pillow)”, Reigelman adds “Bringing Comfort and Safety Into The Home.”

“Wit and humor are absolutely essential. Honestly, there is not a more important element in my work. Anyone can draw a chair and build the goddamn thing. It’s the intimate life and personality in my work that makes it unique. If you ever hear me in my studio laughing maniacally, chances are I am working on something particularly awesome.”

Apartment Made From Paper

Don Lucho has created an entire apartment out of cardboard and paper.

As an added bonus, the artist also made a life-sized paper car and placed it outside of the apartment building. [via]

Camouflage Art by Liu Bolin

Inspired by how some animals can blend into their environment, Liu Bolin from China uses camouflage principles to create amazing contemporary art.

Beautiful and Unique Giant Sculptures

Collection of unusual and creative giant sculptures from all over the globe.

Gundam Robot Sculpture

Beautiful 59-foot-tall Gundam robot sculpture from Tokyo, Japan. [link]

50 Cars Bus Sculpture

This giant sculpture of a Flygbussarna bus was built from 50 cars by the side of the main road to Stockholm airport. [link]

Spider Sculpture

Louise Bourgeois’s 30ft spider, made of bronze, stainless steel and marble, stands outside the Tate Modern in London. [link]

Underwater Sculpture

Jason de Caires creates amazing underwater sculptures. Instead of trying to create unchanging and lasting works, he encourages the organic growth of coral and other organisms across his creations. [link]

Falling Tetris Blocks Sculpture

Giant falling Tetris block sculptures from Sydney, Australia. [link]

Skeleton Sculpture

This giant skeleton sculpture was created by Gino De Dominicis and displayed in the Pallazo Reale in Milan. [link]

Optimus Prime Metal Sculpture

7-foot Transformers Optimus Prime sculpture by Robot Models. [link]

It Wasn’t Meant to End Like This

Art installation by Glue Society, presented at the Sculpture by the Sea festival in Aarhus in Denmark, is a giant mechanical digger that seems to have buried itself under 300 tonnes of rubble. [link]

London Ink Swimmer Sculpture

This 46-feet long and 10-feet high sculpture of a life-like swimmer swimming through the grass was commissioned by London Ink reality TV show. [link]

Kinetic Bicycle Sculpture

Gigantic bicycle sculpture located on Danube river in Budapest. [link]

Building VI Sculpture

Sculpture outside the Musee des Beaux-Arts in Montreal, Canada. [link]

Big Rig Jig Truck Sculpture

Giant sculpture designed by Mike Ross, is built from two repurposed 18-wheeler tanker trucks. [link]

Painted Manhole Covers from Japan

Japan is famous for their beautiful manhole covers. They come in a variety of designs and attract many tourists.

This post features a collection of creative Japanese manhole covers.

[original image source: unknown]

[image credit: Manhole Blog]

[image credit: Manhole Box]

[image credit: Manhole Box]

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[image credit: MRSY]

[original image source: unknown]

[image credit: MRSY]

[original image source: unknown]

[image credit: MRSY]

[image credit: jpellgen]

[image credit: jpellgen]

[image credit: Stephanie]

[image credit: Snowlet]

Beautiful Examples of Light Graffiti

Light graffiti, also known as light painting is a photographic technique in which exposures are made usually at night or in a darkened room by moving a hand-held light source or by moving the camera.

This post features examples of beautiful and creative light graffiti.

Light Painting by rafoto [link]

Orbing by Marc B.B [link]

Play with Light by ddqhu [link]

Light Graffiti by Lightmark [link]

Poseidon by Eric Staller [link]

Singer by versi16 [link]

Light Painting by Toby Keller [link]

Botanical by Michael Bosanko [link]

Max Ophuels Preis by Lichtfaktor [link]

Under My Umbrella by Jacob Carter [link]

Sax A Phone by Eran Hakim [link]

Window Dressing by Eric Staller [link]

Blinder by M R I [link]

Snakes on a Pain by El Endemoniau [link]

Rockstar by Simon Dehn [link]

Air Fireball by Ben [link]

Neon BMX by Sumthin’ Luv [link]

Pac-Man Light Graffiti by robokon_gt [link]

Waste Removal by The Path of Light [link]

Armchair Alien by Michael Bosanko [link]