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TABLE OF CONTENTS

006 foreword 008 introduction 010 Fine Arts & Installations 074 Graphic Design & Typography 100 MOTION ILLUSION 114 PHOTOGRAPHY 152 BODY ART 170 STREET ART

TABLE OF CONTENTS

006 foreword 008 introduction 010 Fine Arts & Installations 074 Graphic Design & Typography 100 MOTION ILLUSION 114 PHOTOGRAPHY 152 BODY ART 170 STREET ART

Foreword

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Foreword

Introduction

In the age of virtual reality and computergenerated images, one would expect the artists’ and the public's interest in optical illusion to wane. Now that any graphic designer with reasonable computer skills is able to recreate drawings by M.C. Escher and other masters of Op Art on their screens, optical illusion could have lost its mystery and mesmerizing power. Most of the books on optical illusion feature the (too) well-known images of the 1960s, as if the golden age of Op Art were now over. Fortunately, this is not the case, and this book presents more than fifty living artists whose amazing works entice a wide audience and challenge our vision of reality. The art of optical illusion has even conquered new fields such as street art and body art, with truly fascinating artworks that delude our perception. Interestingly, the term "optical illusion" is itself misleading, since it is not so much our eye that is deceived but our brain; it is our brain that fails to recognize the lure contained in the images. Even if we immediately perceive the impossible nature of a given picture, we are nevertheless unable, at first glance, to detect the anomaly hidden within it. We should therefore speak of "perceptual illusion", since it is not only our vision that is deceived, but also our sense of space and movement. As such, optical illusion is an exciting field of research for neurosciences and psychology since it touches the limits of human rationality and the ability of our brain to analyse and classify information. This is probably what makes optical illusions so fascinating: they make us aware of the tendency toward absurdity that lies dormant in each of us. Can it be that we love to trick our own brains as a harmless, albeit slightly schizophrenic, game?

Some of the works presented here are surprisingly modest in the means used; the installations by Igor Eškinja and Damien Gilley’s are sometimes made with adhesive tape; Ramon Bruin and Tolga Girgin use only sheets of paper, pencils and ink to create their three-dimensional drawings. Others works, such as the installations by Leandro Erlich, Arnaud Lapierre and Pierre Delavie, require more substantial resources because of their complexity. Regardless of the means used, all these works have one thing in common: the extreme precision with which they are created — nothing is left to chance, since the illusion must be perfect — and the exceptional perseverance of the artists who sometimes spend days putting these intriguing and entertaining works into place. In the case of body art, models must sometimes stay motionless for ten hours while artists complete their works. Optical illusion is an interactive art par excellence, since the works only exist to the extent that one looks at them, and that the spectators submit themselves to the game of astonishment. It is also an art that requires a certain form of mindfulness, because once astonishment has passed, the quest for a rational explanation encourages us to observe the works closely and discover the lure. As such, the art of optical illusion is the antidote to a society where our attention is limited to fractions of a second; confront yourself with a work of optical illusion and you will easily rediscover the pleasure experienced when the mind focuses on solving a riddle.

Symmetry, udated © Cyril Vouilloz

Introduction

Symmetry, udated © Cyril Vouilloz

Damien Gilley B.1977 VISUAL ARTIST, LIVES IN PORTLAND, OREGON, USA DAMIENGILLEY.COM

In Damien Gilley’s universe, straight lines and regular geometric shapes, which are usually associated with rational thinking, take the viewers to a virtual, three-dimensional world actually created on flat surfaces. Based on non-Euclidian geometry, Gilley’s complex, immaterial architecture challenges our perception of reality and leads us into a parallel reality inspired by science-fiction, metaphysical experiences, and drawings by M.C. Escher. One of the particularities of Damien Gilley’s large-scale installations is that they are all created with a minimum of materials: fluorescent tape, strings, vinyl or paint, and drywalls—things that can be used several times for various site-specific constructions. In Fortress, one of his first trompe-l’oeil installations, the artist recreated the irregular shape of the Keller Fountains – one of Portland’s landmarks – with black foam core, and added a forced perspective drawing made of green tape. The scenery alludes both to the city’s rapid expansion and to video game design as a utopian vision of life. The Trail Blazers Event Experience installation celebrates Portland’s legendary professional basketball team and refers to their “pinwheel logo” with its five white stripes separated by black lines. Painted on three walls and on the floor, the installation was displayed at the Trail Blazers stadium during the playoffs of the 2018 season. It splendidly illustrates the dynamism of basketball games.

Fortress, 2008. Black foam core, fluorescent tape, blacklights, Worksound Gallery, Portland.

Damien Gilley B.1977 VISUAL ARTIST, LIVES IN PORTLAND, OREGON, USA DAMIENGILLEY.COM

Fortress, 2008. Black foam core, fluorescent tape, blacklights, Worksound Gallery, Portland.

Han Kyung Woo B. 1979 VISUAL ARTIST, LIVES IN SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA KYUNGWOOHAN.WIXSITE.COM/ KYUNGWOOHAN

Distorted objects and optical effects are at the core of Han Kyung Woo’s installations, which question our sense of perception and play mind games with the viewers. Han Kyung Woo’s work “deals with perceptions and illusions. Everything we see or know is not absolute”, as the artist states, “I suggest various ways to perceive things with slightly different perspectives”. In Green House, the artist constructed a room that seems half-flooded with water: distorted pieces of furniture are half immersed, as if they were floating. A closer look allows us to observe how the artist arranged the various elements to create this illusion: a darker hue of green in the lower part of the room gives the impression of water, “floating” objects are suspended on a wire. The simplicity of the installation is as striking as the optical trick it induces. In another installation, Projected Specimen (2014), the artist used stuffed animals, the silhouettes of which were projected onto illuminated screens in a way that made them look like hand shadow plays. A multidisciplinary artist, Han Kyung Woo studied sculpture at the Seoul National University, then film, video, and new media at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, before spending a semester as resident artist at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture at Madison, Maine. His oeuvre spans sculpture, photography, video, installations, and the redevelopment of public spaces. Han Kyung Woo teaches fine arts at the National University in Seoul.

Green House, 2009. Wood, paint, wire. © Han Kyung Woo

Han Kyung Woo B. 1979 VISUAL ARTIST, LIVES IN SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA KYUNGWOOHAN.WIXSITE.COM/ KYUNGWOOHAN

Green House, 2009. Wood, paint, wire. © Han Kyung Woo

Kelly Hoppen, MBE B. 1959 INTERIOR DESIGNER, LIVES IN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM KELLYHOPPEN.COM

Dynamo B. 1982 MAGICIAN, LIVES IN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM DYNAMOMAGICIAN.COM

Designing a new product, nowadays, often requires a multi-disciplinary team of designers, engineers, and experts in various fields. However, it is quite exceptional – and probably unique - that a star interior designer teams up with a celebrity magician to create trompel’oeil wallpapers. As Kelly Hoppen recalls it, “when Dynamo and I initially met and started discussing the idea of an illusion wallpaper, I had no idea how fascinating it would be to work on such a different project! Having been in the design industry for 40 years, there isn’t much I haven’t done, but magic was new to me and I enjoyed every second. I like to think I create magic in people’s homes on a daily basis but now I can say I have done the real thing, with the mystery man himself!” Enigma and Paradox, the wallpapers that resulted from their collaboration, were launched in 2016 by Graham & Brown, a manufacturer of high-quality wallpaper. Enigma gives viewers the impression that they are observing a modern cityscape from above. It resembles a cluster of white beams that varying in size, and partly interlocking with each other. Paradox offers the vision of a protruding concrete wall with sharp angles, which attracts the eye with its uneven, moving surface alluding to brutalist architecture.

Paradox, 2016. Wallpaper. © Kelly Hoppen MBE in partnership with Dynamo and Graham & Brown.

Kelly Hoppen, MBE B. 1959 INTERIOR DESIGNER, LIVES IN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM KELLYHOPPEN.COM

Dynamo B. 1982 MAGICIAN, LIVES IN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM DYNAMOMAGICIAN.COM

Pierre Voisin B. 1996 GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND ART DIRECTOR, LIVES IN PARIS, FRANCE DESIGNBYPIERRE.IO DAILYMINIMAL.COM

A graduate in biological engineering and graphic design, Pierre Voisin sees his artistic work as a way to build bridges between these disciplines. He deliberately uses his scientific knowledge to draw vibrant geometric shapes that strike the viewer with their sleek lines, organic harmony, and the realism of their three-dimensional illusion. The young designer launched Daily Minimal, a blog dedicated to minimalist geometric designs, in November 2014, with the aim to post new drawings on a daily basis, with an emphasis placed on three-dimensional effects. In Voisin’s artistic vision, geometry is “the most beautiful way to communicate ideas and concepts. You can show everything you want simply and it is directly understandable by everyone.” The designer’s quest for pure, spare forms found a particular echo in Japan, where the Daily Minimal artworks were displayed at the Matsudo International Science Art Festival in 2018. Pierre Voisin’s drawings have been repeatedly used as motifs by tattoo artists. While black-and-white designs are predominant in his works, Voisin shows his mastery of soft blue or pink hues in complex compositions such as Deep Blue, where geometric shapes are combined with a pulsating illusion. In addition to his artistic exploration of geometry, he designs logos and visual identity elements for brands and institutions such as Bose and the French Ministry for the Economy and Finance.

Pierre Voisin B. 1996 GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND ART DIRECTOR, LIVES IN PARIS, FRANCE DESIGNBYPIERRE.IO DAILYMINIMAL.COM

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