12 Contemporary Artists You Should Be Familiar With

Art is important because it’s a reflections of the times we live in. Sometimes it’s a literal reflection – a depiction of an event, a war, a scene from the Bible. Sometimes it’s a little more figurative, expressionistic, abstract. But sometimes it’s just really, really cool. Listed below are 13 contemporary artists whose work either looks great, speaks volumes, or both.

1. Kumi Yamashita
Kumi Yamashita makes installation art out of ordinary objects, however the twist is that when lighted from the right angles, the installation casts a shadow that are images of itself.

2. Guy Laramee
Guy Laramee carves books to make them look like landscapes. Every piece takes an incredible amount of planning and a lot of meticulous work, but the end result is absolutely gorgeous.

3. Riusuke Fukahori
Riusuke Fukahori draws and paints on various surfaces (though usually paper) to create incredibly realistic three-dimensional illustrations of fish. He uses paint, pencils, and ink to create images that you wouldn’t be able to tell apart from actual pictures of real fish.

4. Felice Varini
Felice Varini creates anamorphic illusions in three-dimensional places. Like Kumi Yamashita, the astounding difficulty of Varini’s work truly strikes you only when the conditions are just right. If you stand in the right place, it looks as if a two-dimensional image has been applied to a three-dimensional space!