Artist’s illusions transforming the streets

A graffiti artist from Portugal is becoming a social-media sensation with his ultra-realistic murals that transform the mundane* into the magnificent.

Street artist Sergio Odeith’s mind-blowing 3D creations have earned him the nickname “The Illusionist” for their incredible colour, depth and imagination.

The 44-year-old self-taught artist – known as Odeith – has amassed* almost 780,000 social media fans after sharing his jaw-dropping works on Instagram.

From living creatures to vehicles, there is seemingly no subject that Odeith can’t turn into a head-turning piece of street art.

Showcasing his skill on a couple of abandoned concrete boxes, Odeith transforms the drab structures into an old-fashioned flatbed truck, while another artwork converts a decrepit* apartment block wall into a wrecked bus.

Odeith also magically turns a section of peeling, moss-covered concrete at the side of a building into a gleaming classic black Rolls-Royce.

The artist’s amazing creations show his humorous take on life, as he appears in photos with some of his 3D pieces.

In one photograph, a friend grapples with what appears to be a snarling leashed hyena as Odeith spray paints finishing touches onto its menacing jaws.

In another lifelike piece, Odeith appears to be chatting to a giant rooster as he stands on a chair animatedly engaged in conversation with the bird.

It’s a more laid-back approach for Odeith in an amazing frog graffiti piece as he relaxes in a chair while the super-sized blue tree frog gazes inquisitively down at him from an old wall.

He lets fans in on one of his artistic tricks in a video showing just how the frog illusion looks as if it is literally about to jump off the wall. He explains the painting is “super distorted”.

After beginning using his spray can in the 1980s, Odeith now works on commissions around the world, with one of his 3D frogs recreated at Heathrow Airport in the UK earlier this year.

This story was first published on The Sun and is republished with permission.

GLOSSARY

• mundane: dull and uninteresting
• amassed: accumulated, collected
• decrepit: worn out and neglected

EXTRA READING

Street artists hit the big time

Banksy’s touching Christmas reindeer mural

Murals transform country towns

Tapestries finally complete Sistine Chapel

QUICK QUIZ

1. Which country is this artist from?
2. How old is Odeith?
3. What is his nickname?
4. When did he begin painting?
5. At which airport is there a version of the 3D frog?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Looking at art elements
There are seven elements of visual art: colour, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value. Choose your favourite of Odeith's artworks, explain why you like it best, and comment about his use of any 3 of the elements in that artwork. 

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Visual Arts

2. Extension
Identify an area of your school that you think could do with some beautifying. On a piece of paper, create a design for an "Odeith-style" artwork that you believe would suit the space.

Time: allow 40 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: Visual Arts

VCOP ACTIVITY
Verb adventures
With a partner see if you can identify all the doing words/verbs in this text. Highlight them in yellow and then make a list of them all down your page. Now see if you and your partner can come up with a synonym for the chosen verb. Make sure it still makes sense in the context it was taken from.

Try to replace some of the original verbs with your synonyms and discuss if any are better and why.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Which is your favourite mural?
No one-word answers. Use full sentences to explain your thinking. No comments will be published until approved by editors.