Here’s my first ambigram of the year: 32 = 99 – 1 – 66. The equality holds even when you flip the image below upside down! The next step is to do the same with the number 23 — any ideas?
⇨ More number facts.
32, numerical ambigram
Optical illusions
Mystic Flying Bat
Mystic Flying Bat is a mixed-media artwork I created back in 2010. It was the starting point for a series of pieces in a similar style, some of which I screen-printed using different color palettes. With this work, I wanted to invite viewers to think about an intriguing question: What is movement?
What makes this kinoptic artwork special is the way it creates the illusion of motion. As you look at it, the black bat seems to flutter, expand, or shift. But here’s the fascinating part—if you stare at it long enough and then close your eyes, a white bat will appear in your mind!
Kinoptic designs, like this one, play with our perception, making still images feel alive. It’s all about the clever use of contrasting colors and the precise arrangement of shapes.
Curious about how to create something like this yourself? I’ve put together a tutorial you can check out.
If you’d like to own a print or canvas of Mystic Flying Bat, you can find them here.
Hypnotic Disc
Take a moment to focus on the circular pattern. How many spirals do you see? The surprising answer is none. There are no spirals here—just alternating black and yellow discs, slightly off-center and layered to create a striking illusion of swirling depth and motion.
I began crafting pieces like this in the early ’90s, drawing inspiration from Duchamp’s Rotoreliefs. I was captivated by how simple rotation could deceive the eye, inviting the viewer into a world of optical illusions. It’s a unique experience—seeing motion and depth in something entirely flat, both puzzling and mesmerizing.
This op art pattern comes to life across various mediums and transforms into artistic expressions on different objects. In my online gallery, you’ll find art prints and everyday items featuring this work, all available for purchase.
Gliding Patterns: The Anomalous Motion Illusion
Let your gaze wander across the image below. Do the shapes in the first and third rows seem to subtly shift leftward, while the second and fourth rows appear to glide rightward?
Now, let your gaze wander across the image below. Do the concentric circles appear to subtly counter-rotate?
Why do these static images appear to move? This perceptual phenomenon, known as “anomalous motion” or “peripheral drift illusion”, results from the interplay of color contrast, luminance, and eye movements. It occurs due to a sawtooth luminance grating in the visual periphery, where a sequence of contrasting colors transitions from light to dark. The speed of the perceived motion is influenced by the frequency of microsaccadic eye movements.
In the 1990s, I began creating many of these fascinating images, experimenting with patterns and contrasts to bring this mesmerizing effect to life.
Fine art prints and merchandise of these mesmerizing pieces are available in my online gallery—a perfect addition to any space!
Paradossal… Mente!
Sabato 21 dicembre ti aspettiamo alla Mostra delle Illusioni di Genova per “Paradossal…mente“, il laboratorio interattivo sulla percezione visiva che ho ideato e che guiderò personalmente. Non mancare!
I partecipanti saranno attivamente coinvolti in esperienze che mettono alla prova le percezioni: scopriranno illusioni ottiche inedite, creeranno giochi percettivi sconcertanti e indagheranno vari paradossi e misteri della mente e del sistema visivo. Ogni esperienza invita a riflettere su come il cervello può “ingannarci” o lasciarsi influenzare da ciò che lo circonda
Durata del laboratorio: 1 ora circaIl Materiale per il laboratorio creativo sarà fornito direttamente dalla Mostra delle Illusioni.
🔹APPUNTAMENTI:
🔸1 TURNO ORE 14:30
🔸2 TURNO ORE 15:30
🔸3 TURNO ORE 16:30
🔹QUOTA LABORATORIO:
ADULTO (18+): 20€
BAMBINO (8-17): 15€
🔹QUOTA LABORATORIO + MOSTRA:
ADULTO (18+): 30€
BAMBINO (8-17): 25€
🤩 Portate con voi la vostra curiosità…al resto ci pensiamo noi!
📍 Dove
Magazzini del Cotone – Modulo 1, Porto Antico di Genova
✅ Prenota al numero: 389-5540263 oppure scrivi a: mostragenova@lamostradelleillusioni.com
Suggestive Minimalism
Draw me a human with just two short, symmetrical curved lines…
In 2012, Lebanese artist Huguette Caland took part in the group show Le corps découvert at the ‘Institut du Monde Arabe’ in Paris. One of her works, Self Portrait (1973)—a petal-pink field humorously cracked by a darker pink, revealing an up-close rear view of a classical nude—was featured on the catalog cover. She also presented whimsical, playful line drawings of breasts, lashes, eyes, lips, noses—noses?—as though lifted from a secret, sensual notebook of an untroubled Shel Silverstein. A sign in the hall restricted entry to those over eighteen… Who knows why, for such innocent visual plays?
Illusive Concentric Circles
My op art piece Trinacria (1997) features three black-and-white zig-zagging shapes spiraling together to create the illusion of interwoven concentric circles. These jagged, repeating patterns add a sense of depth to the piece and produce a subtle rotating effect that seems to shift as you follow each line with your eyes.
Prints and canvases of Trinacria are available in my online gallery.
Below, an animated version enhances the effect. By focusing on the center, viewers can observe virtual circles appearing to move inward or outward, adding to the piece’s dynamic sense of rotation and depth.
Perspective Optical Illusions: The art of circling the square
When bending the sides of a square structure forward, each edge forming a sine wave shape, the structure reveals a circle when viewed from the reverse angle. This illusion plays with perspective, specifically utilizing an effect known as “anamorphosis“.
Anamorphosis refers to a artistic technique that uses perspective to create distorted images that can only be viewed correctly from a specific angle.
Two Mind-Bending Aquariums
At first glance, they seem to be the same, but take a closer look… Can you spot what’s wrong?
I’ve always been fascinated by impossible figures, which psychologists call “undecidable figures”, meaning visual representations that challenge our perception and understanding of reality. Since the late 1980s, I’ve continued to explore this field and create new illusions, producing a series of drawings that play with the third dimension, manipulating perspectives and proportions to create original visual effects.
My work draws inspiration from two masters of optical art and impossible objects: Josef Albers and Oscar Reutersvärd. Their innovations and creations have always inspired and motivated me to continue my research in this field.
The Red Wine Color Illusion
Does the color of wine change when poured into a glass?
Although it may appear darker, the red shade remains the same. This visual trick is a result of the Munker-White illusion—where our brain perceives colors differently depending on their surrounding context.
If you’re fascinated by puzzles like this, reach out to my syndication agent to feature them in your publication.
This op art piece is also available as prints and canvases in my online gallery.