Despite earning a bad rap as the worst social media network for mental health, according to a report published by Time magazine in 2017, Instagram can be a great source of creative ideas and inspiration, especially when you follow remarkable artists with extraordinary minds.
These people have been putting the famous photo and video sharing app to good use by showcasing their mindblowing works of art for everyone to enjoy. Whether you consider yourself an aficionado or just a casual fan, you might want to check these Instagram accounts.
- Banksy (@banksy)
First on our list is perhaps the quintessential postmodern visual artist of our time. To this day, no one knows the identity of the person behind the name ‘Banksy,’ but the works of this thought-provoking artist have already been embraced by millions of people around the world.
His creations are extremely political but funny in many respects. They appear mostly in the streets of England and other public spaces in different countries. Some of his famous series of artworks include the Balloon Girl and Dismaland, an obvious mockery of Disneyland.
Banksy recently posted a highly amusing yet poignant collaboration with Bob Ross to expose how he pulled off his latest mural “Great Escape.” According to Nerdist, the artwork celebrates Irish playwright Oscar Wilde who was imprisoned for gross indecency back in the day.
A post shared by Banksy (@banksy)
- Christoph Niemann (@abstractsunday)
The incredible mind of this award-winning German artist can take random ordinary items and turn them into quirky images. Niemann has been making great illustrations and graphic designs for magazines throughout his career.
He was featured in the first season of the Netflix documentary series, “Abstract: The Art of Design,” which put the spotlight on extremely talented and visionary artists working in different fields of design. Niemann also transitioned into digital illustration and writing.
For more insights into his brutal creative process, you may check out his book ‘Sunday Sketching’ or visit these excerpts published by Wired magazine. The life of every artist can be easily romanticized until you become an artist yourself and realize how painful it can be.
Christoph Niemann on Instagram: “I miss #NYC”
- Kevin Eric Raymundo (@tarantadongkalbo)
If you have spent so much time on Facebook, you might have been familiar with this one. Filipino freelance artist and animator Kevin Eric Raymundo earned quite a following across various social media platforms, including Instagram, in the age of post-truth.
He has been using his art to speak up on a lot of social and political issues permeating the mainstream and social media. Most of his observations are critical, humorous, and to the point, but sometimes he can also go over the top.
Like most people living in times of ridiculous uncertainty, Raymundo has his own share of frustrations, too. He channels these thoughts and feelings through his comic strips whose messages clearly resonated with a lot of exhausted millennials.
- Cyrill Acuña (@awkwardbutable)
Another Manila-based artist who has been actively publishing drawings with childlike passion and wonder on Instagram is Cyrill Acuña. His works are rich in colors depicting mundane moments in the modern lives of most Filipinos.
You can find ordinary characters providing undervalued service in some of his illustrations, including a magtataho, mamang sorbetero, and mang-iisaw—Filipino street vendors selling sweet tofu, ice cream and barbecued pork/chicken intestines, respectively.
Calendars and pop-culture icons are noticeable in his collection, but this talented young artist has also been posting various ‘art for a cause’ campaigns to help promote the different donation drives organized by the art community for the victims of calamity and other causes.
- Luke Adam Hawker (@lukeadamhawker)
This London-based artist is a master of perspective drawing using only pen and paper to create beautiful illustrations of buildings, trees, people and other everyday scenes. They look simple on the surface but the amount of work to complete one image is complicated.
Luke Adam Hawker travels around the world to capture images on the spot using his unique drawing techniques with the camera only being used to record the entire process sped up through timelapse.
One could feel a certain degree of difficulty in the lines and patterns he produces in every sketch. Like other successful artists, he has recently published his collection of drawings in a book called ‘Together.’