Social media influencers dominate the digital landscape with carefully curated shots and perfectly posed selfies. This artist is turning this modern phenomenon on its head by reimagining some of history’s most iconic artworks through a contemporary lens.

Meet UntitledSave, a digital collage artist from Porto, Portugal, who’s bridging the gap between classical art and modern social media culture. Through their innovative digital recreations, timeless masterpieces are transformed into what they might look like if their subjects were contemporary influencers.

The Art of Digital Transformation

UntitledSave’s work poses an intriguing question: What if the subjects of classical paintings had Instagram accounts? The results are both thought-provoking and surprisingly natural. Frida Kahlo becomes a self-aware selfie queen, while the enigmatic Mona Lisa transforms into a lifestyle blogger with that same mysterious smile we’ve wondered about for centuries.

These recreations do more than simply modernize classical works—they offer commentary on how self-presentation and artistic expression have evolved in the digital age. The artist cleverly maintains the essence of each original masterpiece while incorporating modern elements that feel surprisingly authentic to both time periods.

Notable Transformations Include:

• Frida Kahlo reimagined as a modern-day self-portrait artist and body positivity advocate
• The Mona Lisa as a lifestyle influencer, complete with subtle product placement
• Venus de Milo transformed into a fitness influencer
• Girl with a Pearl Earring as a jewelry and fashion blogger

The Untitled.Save Interview

What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Cyclist

What’s your background?
I attended a hairdressing course and have a degree in Product Design

What piece are you most proud of?
The one I’m yet to create

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
“Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today” (I rarely follow this advice)

What is one thing they tried to teach you in school that you knew immediately was wrong?
We all have the same rights

Who is the one person, dead or alive, that you would like to have dinner with and why?
I would love to have dinner with the artist JR at the yellow house in Brazil

Where is your favorite place?
It’s always wherever I’m not

Who are your biggest influences?
Salvador Dalí and Rui Reininho

Which current art world trends are you following?
I’m paying close attention to AI developments. I’ve tried it, but I haven’t yet found a personal identity in it, which is why I’ve never published anything

What can’t you live without?
Music

What is your dream project?
To have an exhibition or project in Portugal. So far, the opportunities I’ve had have always been abroad

What’s your favorite artwork?
It’s hard to pick just one, but for many months now, I’ve had Albrecht Dürer’s Praying Hands painting on the screen of my phone

What is currently on your playlist?
Vacances, L’Impératrice
Acorda, Cristina Massena
Sacatela, La Femme

What are your last three Google searches?
I don’t want to destroy my reputation haha

What gives you life?
Music

What is your superpower?
Knowing how to say no

What is your Kryptonite?
What’s that?

If you could visit any artist’s studio, whose would you visit and why?
Iryna Maksymova. In the midst of the war in Ukraine, she didn’t leave the country and continues to bring a little light to the world with her art

What ideas are you currently pondering or questioning?
How can the human race be so beautiful and twisted at the same time?

What do most people believe that you do not?
Zodiac signs

What is your favorite thing in the world?
Bacalhau à Brás

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be, and why?
Banksy. Because of the anonymity of that collaboration

What’s next for you?
Dinner

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Where to find, follow, and collect:

Fran Rodriguez is “lacabezaenlasnubes” (Spanish for “head in the clouds”). He is a visionary digital artist whose work challenges conventional perceptions of reality. Born in Torrelavega, Cantabria, in Northern Spain, Fran’s artistic journey has led him from the verdant landscapes of his hometown to the vibrant streets of Barcelona, with a significant stint in Madrid along the way.

Artistic Vision and Style

Fran Rodriguez’s artwork is profoundly influenced by his early fascination with surrealism and psychedelia. This foundation has evolved into a unique perspective that challenges the boundaries of conventional perception. His digital creations are characterized by three primary elements:

Surreal Landscapes

Rodriguez masterfully merges elements of nature with fantastical and otherworldly scenes, creating environments where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur. His works often feature:

• An astronaut suspended within the Pantheon in Rome, bathed in light from the oculus, juxtaposing ancient architecture with futuristic exploration.
• A solitary figure traversing desert dunes beneath a star-studded sky, their form seamlessly blending into the sand, while a massive planet looms in the background.
• Modern dwellings suspended over Earth in the vastness of space, presenting a surreal vision of human habitation.

Psychedelic Influences

Rodriguez’s art harnesses vibrant colors and abstract forms to evoke a profound sense of wonder and exploration.

Notable examples include:

• Explosive bursts of polychromatic flowers set against azure skies, creating a visual symphony of color and form.
• Abstract compositions featuring vivid hues, such as a desert scene where a portal tears open the fabric of reality, revealing a celestial vista.
• Human figures enveloped by brilliant orange blossoms, set against backdrops of surreal planetary landscapes.

Digital Mastery

Leveraging cutting-edge digital tools, Rodriguez crafts intricate details and imaginative compositions that challenge our perception of reality.

His technical prowess is evident in pieces such as:

• A young girl on a swing, suspended high above the Earth, with the cosmos serving as a breathtaking backdrop.
• A bridge stretching across a cosmic landscape, with vehicles journeying towards a horizon painted with stars.
• Floating frames capturing fragments of starry skies, encircled by flowing fabrics and celestial bodies hovering over tranquil seas.

For Rodriguez, the visible world represents merely a fraction of a greater, hidden reality—a tantalizing glimpse of an iceberg’s tip breaking the surface of our consciousness. His art serves as a portal, inviting viewers to question their perceptions and explore the rich, often surreal landscapes of the subconscious mind.

Through his meticulous digital craftsmanship, Rodriguez captures the essence of a world where imagination reigns supreme, and the boundaries of reality are constantly redefined. His work not only challenges our visual senses but also prompts us to contemplate the nature of existence and our place within the vast, mysterious universe.

Philosophy

At the core of Fran’s work lies a profound belief: what we perceive through our senses is only a small part of a vast, unseen universe. This conviction has become more than just an artistic approach; it’s a life project, a constant quest to unveil the mysteries lurking beneath the surface of everyday reality.

Through his work, Fran encourages us to look beyond the obvious, to seek out the extraordinary hidden within the ordinary. His restless spirit and boundless imagination fuel dreams of future adventures, from the icy wilderness of Alaska to the unexplored terrains of distant planets, all of which influence his artistic output.

Collections and Availability

Fran Rodriguez’s captivating artwork is available for purchase through various platforms:

• Pixels: Offers a range of prints including canvas, framed, and metal prints.
• iCanvas: Features over 100 items including popular pieces like “Holynight” and “Swing”.
• Saatchi Art: Provides a selection of his works, including paintings, photography, and prints.
• Fine Art America: Another platform where his art can be bought in various formats such as tapestries and greeting cards.
• BIG Wall Décor: Specializes in large-scale prints of his surreal digital images.

Use coupon code “SurrealismToday20” to get 20% your with Big Wall Decor order.

Connect with Fran

Experience the world through Fran’s unique lens:

• Facebook: lacabezaenlasnubes
• Instagram: @lacabezaenlasnubes
• X: @Fran_nubes

Join Fran on his artistic journey as he continues to explore the depths of perception and imagination, challenging us all to keep our heads in the clouds and our minds open to the infinite possibilities that lie just beyond our everyday view.

Marisa lost herself in countless hours reading various thoughts and theories, dabbled in energy healing work, and discovered the unexpected in meditation. In the end, she came to recognize that these new horizons unveiled limitless possibilities across time and space.

The repeated use of clouds and the infinite landscape serve as metaphors for the unknown. Marisa manipulates perspectives and scale to blur reality and touch upon concepts beyond this three-dimensional world, but with the intent of imparting a sense of peace and calm.

marisaswhite.com
shop.marisaswhite.com
instagram.com/marisa_whitesparks
facebook.com/whitesparksphotography

Prints
Lola Mitchell Portfolio

The series Goddess Almighty is a reinterpretation of the first recorded goddess, Mother Nature. Worshipped in a time when nature was depended upon and respected, she epitomized fertility, the life cycle and sexual freedom, all embodied in a woman. Today, by contrast, we domineer and destroy nature. Our primary religions convey god as a man and traditionally devalue women. Reminiscent of baroque art, the work reestablishes the goddess to her origins, defining her as strong, mysterious and defeating. Dancers are used for their physical strength, their muscles digitally exaggerated.

Influences by the surrealism movement, The Dreaming Girls is an homage to the surrealists working from the 1920s to the 1960s. This project uses surreal art photography to channel the unconscious and unleash imagination. Writing down dreams and visual ideas for weeks, the project was made using different images taken in different places. The images were put together, with colouring and toning digitally.

As the themes in Alice’s work change, the fascination with the surreal stays.

alicezilberberg.com

Interview with Alice Zilberberg

Where are you from?
I grew up in Israel.


Where do you live now?
Downtown Toronto, Canada.

How has that affected your work?
Some of my work like my project “Home”, speaks about my background and belonging. In this project, the bottom half of the images were photographed in Israel, the country I grew up in, while the sky was shot in Canada, the country I currently reside in. When I arrived in Canada I found it difficult to connect to other, and when I came to visit “Home” (Israel) after many years, I realized that in Israel I was Canadian, and in Canada I was Israeli. The landscapes are digitally manipulated to appear otherworldly, like a different planet, representing a place I am estranged from. In them I see a familiarity, a place that is so beautiful, that has recognizable features, but somewhere I feel alien.



What concepts or stories do you often return to? Why?

I have made a few projects that are eco-feminist in nature, which explore the connections between femininity and the natural environment. I return to these themes because I like to take ideas I’m interested in and make metaphoric connections that appear in my work. In the future, I see myself making direct connections to personal experiences and my life in my projects.


What artists do you look up to?
Some contemporary artists I admire are Ray Caesar, Erwin Olaf, Natalie Shau, Miss Aniela, Erik Johansson, and Brooke Shaden. I also love artists such as Dali, Rene Magritte, Frida Kahlo, Frans Snyder, and Jan Weenix.


Your work is surrealistic and you work in digital photography. How did you come about to choose this combination?

I’ve been drawing and painting since I young age. I started playing with digital illustration and photo-manipulation before I picked up a camera. My style developed when I discovered photography I saw that I could manipulate photography in the computer and create surrealistic images. I’ve been working in this technique for over ten years.

Feminism seems to be important in the two bodies of work we are featuring. Who or what has influence your thinking on this?
As someone who grew up in a small kibbutz in Israel, I’ve always felt very connected to nature. As I child I remember always playing outside and being in nature as opposed to being connecting to technology. Owning my own business and being entrepreneurial in nature, I feel the connection to empower women.

alicezilberberg.com

Sergio Gervacio creates photographs that range from the ominous and unexpected to the whimsical. Strange masked men stand in the darkness, yet wearing a unicorn mask. A selfie taker’s arm clutching the phone is emerging from his open mouth.

A figure sits in a tub of milky liquid blowing bubbles, wearing a mask. A strange mermaid doll also happens to be in that tub. What does it all mean? Well, if it was obvious, he wouldn’t have to make the art.

https://www.instagram.com/gerby.gervacio

Baskoro Prasetyo is a 28-year-old freelance photographer and videographer from Bali, Indonesia.
Prasetyo’s work takes a critical view of nature and culture. In his work, he deconstructs Indonesian beliefs and culture. He uses digital collage and photography in his artwork.
instagram.com/baskoroprass/

Yet Thompson’s work is gratifying: elegant compositions. Rich colors. Powerful juxtapositions. Each image is unique, but form a complex body of work.

The artist tends to use himself as the main subject in his deeply personal photography.

Portfolio

The brunt of Thompson’s work consists of beautiful, striking and surreal self-portraits in which Thompson is bending reality to his will.

“I started taking self-portraits because I enjoyed going out alone,” Thompson recently told The Daily Beast. “It was easiest because I am always available and… I wanted some way to channel my emotions. I felt self-portraits were the most personal.”

His work is often set in abandoned houses or deep inside forests where he creates scenes of solitude that, on occasion, require that he set himself on fire.

– Source

Ghose Town (2013)

Void (2013)

Kyle Thompson Biography

Kyle Thompson was born in Chicago on January 11th, 1992. He began taking photographs at the age of nineteen after finding interest in nearby abandoned houses. His work is mostly composed of self portraits, often taking place in empty forests and abandoned homes.

His work encapsulates the ephemeral narrative, a nonexistent story line that only lives for a split moment. These images show the collapse of narrative, as there is no defined story line with a beginning and end; instead, these images create a loop. This fleeting moment lives on in a constant unchanging state. By diverting the view of the face, the images become more ambiguous, the viewer is no longer able to tie a defined story line to the image.

He is currently based in Portland, OR

http://www.kylethompsonphotography.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KyleThompsonPhotography
http://kylejthompson.tumblr.com/

In her series “The Unseen”, Lebanese photographer Lara Zankoul pushes the boundaries of photographic surrealism through her constructed life-size sets. Strictly through the use of her camera and with no digital manipulation, Zankoul creates dreamlike images where water is used to depict contrasting characteristics of the characters she photographs. Each image captures a different human emotion and the dueling perspectives that can exist. Zankoul invites the viewer to investigate each image and attempt to determine which half holds the element of truth. – Juxtapoz

Lara Zankoul Biography

Zankoul was born photographically in 2008. Driven by passion, she taught herself photography and started an enriching journey in the artistic field. During 2009, she completed her 365 project, a personal mission in which she committed on taking a picture every day in a row for a year. She has participated in several local and international collective exhibitions such as the ‘Women’s Art Exhibition’ in Art Lounge Lebanon in 2011 and the 3rd edition of the Festival Photomed in the South of France in 2013. Part of the Shabab Ayyam incubator programme, she was an award recipient at the 2011 Shabab Ayyam Photography Competition. In her solo show in Ayyam Gallery in January 2013, she presented for the first time, her cinematographic work, which was auctioned in April 2013 at Christie’s Dubai.

– http://www.larazankoul.com/

Artist Statement:

In 2006 I witnessed the so called Smash ASEM “riot”. There I
personally saw the dark side of the Finnish police. How young men hid
behind their uniforms and hoods and anonymously committed misconduct.
Later I witnessed the reluctance of the justice system to punish those
in uniforms.

Uniforms create unity and through them we can separate a soldier from a civilian.
But sometimes we hide in them when we do something that is really bad

We wear clothes described by religion, profession, political thoughts and
tradition to communicate and represent authority, where we belong and
how we see the world. Often this hides our true persona and creates
walls between ourselves and between the people that we meet.

The characters in my works are the prisoners of these traditions and
walls that we’ve created for ourselves. How close can we, the viewers,
get to the characters that have so much of their personality taken
away from?

juhaarvidhelminen.com

https://www.facebook.com/ArtOfJuhaArvidHelminen
Via HiFructose