Graffiti artist Bikismo (also known as Joshua Santos Rivera) has beautified the streets of Miami with this optically tantalizing mural of a chrome-coated dog. Gracing the walls of Jose De Diego Middle School, the Puerto Rican artist’s piece is composed of painstakingly mapped patches of color, laid out much like the preliminary outlines of a tattoo. The color segments are then filled in entirely with spray paint.
This incredibly acute attention to detail produces a strikingly realistic and awe-inspiring three-dimensional reflection on the wall’s flat surface. The photorealistic aesthetic extends to the incredibly detailed shadowing on the dog’s face and underside, making the image leap off the wall. Spanning four days from start to finish, the work was undertaken as part of the Raw Project to add art installations to Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, and the school in particular.
