Impossible IRL

Every generation of artists plays with the conventions set by those who came before them. Today some artists take hyperrealism a step beyond “real.” They introduce humor, spotlight the strange, and even tap into discomfort. The artists featured here each produce artwork that pushes us to question whether what we see is real.

Every generation of artists plays with new ideas. Today some artists take hyperrealism to new extremes. They use humor and strangeness. Some try to make viewers uncomfortable. The artworks featured here might make you question whether what you see is real.

A master stone carver who trained in France and Italy, Barbara Ségal sculpts luxury goods from marble. The artist aims to critique consumerism and materialism.

Named for the type of marble from which it is carved, Calacata Borghini, above, looks sumptuous and soft. Ségal uses Renaissance techniques to carve a replica of the iconic Hermès Birkin bag. The 2023 sculpture features delicate details, including the stitching, and the brand’s trademark lock. She renders the shape and texture so faithfully that it might ignite your senses, reminding you how it feels to hold a brand-new bag. But what would happen if you were to try to lift this marble sculpture?

Barbara Ségal is a stone carver. She trained in France and Italy. Ségal sculpts luxury goods out of marble. Her goal is to question society’s focus on buying things.

The work above is called Calacata Borghini. It’s named after the marble it is carved from. The sculpture is a copy of a designer handbag. Ségal uses carving techniques to make the stone look like soft leather.

The 2023 sculpture has delicate details. You can see tiny stitches and a lock. The shape and texture of the bag are so perfect it seems real.

A chrome octopus hovers in front of a bubble-gum-pink wall, gracefully reflecting the surrounding streets of Puerto Rico. Sounds like a surreal dream, right? Bik Ismo’s mural, above, presents a startling illusion. Completed in the street artist’s signature style, the spray-painted mural features distorted reflections that create the three-dimensional illusion. The artist even includes the reflection of a cloud-filled sky and a yellow-and-black car driving past.

As part of his process, the Puerto Rican artist explores a proposed mural’s location to determine what would be reflected if the object he’s painting were real. Then he depicts it as if it were actually there, reflecting the space around it. How does this approach add another layer of realism to Ismo’s work?

A shiny metal octopus floats in front of a bright-pink wall. It reflects the streets around it. Sounds like a dream, right? It’s an illusion. Puerto Rican street artist Bik Ismo made it.

Ismo spray-painted the mural, above, in his signature style. He paints shadows and reflections that make the octopus appear threedimensional. He includes reflections of a blue sky and a yellow car. Before starting a mural, Ismo explores its future location. He thinks about what would be reflected if his painting were real. Then he paints the object to reflect those things.

After graduating from art school in 1972, American artist Marilyn Minter moved to New York City, where she started hanging out in clubs. Completed decades later, her 2005 Pink Eye, above, echoes the artist’s past experiences with its extreme close-up of an eye with spiky eyelashes. The title refers to the colors within the work, inviting questions about whether the color is true-to-life, showing heavy, dramatic makeup, or a manipulated version of reality.

Minter says, “Close-ups slow everything down and shift the way we see/understand an image.” Considering the color, close cropping, and large scale—the work measures 5' x 9'—does Pink Eye make you want to slow down or join the party?

American artist Marilyn Minter painted Pink Eye, above, in 2005. It recalls her experiences living in New York City.

Minter paints a close-up of an eye. The title refers to the colors in the work. It sparks questions: Is the color true to life? Or is this a manipulated version of reality?

“Close-ups slow everything down and shift the way we see,” Minter says. This work is 5 by 9 feet—much larger than life. Think about the color, close cropping, and large scale. Does the painting make you want to slow down?

Through detail, texture, precision, and other techniques, artists can seemingly bring to life something that doesn’t actually exist—and the result can provoke strong feelings. Milan-based artist Alessandro Boezio embraces the bizarre in sculptures made from clay and fiberglass, often contorting or rearranging the human body.

In his 2009 Mano in Piedi, above, which translates from Italian to Standing Hand, fingers mutate into feet. They rise up from a disembodied arm, carefully rendered with veins and hair. “Everything can be transformed,” Boezio says about the principles guiding his art. As when you watch a scary movie, seeing the artist’s work might make you laugh or cringe.

Alessandro Boezio is an artist in Milan, Italy. He embraces the bizarre in his sculptures. He makes them from clay and fiberglass. His works often rearrange the human body.

His 2009 work above is called Mano In Piedi. That means Standing Hand in Italian. In it, fingers transform into feet. They stem from an arm, which has realistic veins and hair. “Everything can be transformed,” says Boezio. This idea guides his art.