Serbian artist Artez recently painted this larger than life mural titled “Expected Surprise” in Vienna, Austria for the Calle Libre Festival. In his true style, Artez blends hyper realistic themes with photo realism clarity. His colorful palette is also a trademark of his work and the precise design and layout allows one to forget how large this mural actually is over 65’ high. 

Photo By Wolfgang Breyscha / @famiglia_vienna

Who doesn’t remember playing the game of Jenga and having your heart beat with the joyful anticipation of pulling out a wooden piece and possibly having the entire piece fall down? I played Jenga with my children for years and I certainly remember the crash when I pulled out the piece that could no longer bear the weight of the tower.

About The Mural

Imagine that depth of sensory with your eyes being blindfolded closed- what do you think that would feel like? This mural is meant to capture the moment just before the entire game of Jenga falls and your sense of hearing and touch immediately go into hyper drive since your sight has been diffused. As the artist himself mentions, ” Expected Surprise” ceases the moment in time when you would dare to remove a wooden piece that would then create the entire game to fall into many pieces therefore making that last move an “expected surprise”.

* Note that Artez’s reoccurring subjects- both his beloved dog of 11 years, @Iuna_the_dog, and his love Milica D., (millsushi), are present within this new mural.

Photo By Jolly Schwarz / @jollyschwarzphotography
Photo By Jolly Schwarz / @jollyschwarzphotography

About The Artist

Artez is known for mixing photo realism with his knowledge of illustration. He often uses subjects from his every day surroundings as seen in his most recent mural, “Expected Surprise” (which is pictured in this article). His colorful palette has been influenced by his travels around the globe and Artez has become one of the leading Serbian artists to date.

About The Curator

Calle Libre is an annual festival that takes place in Austria and blends contemporary forms of graffiti with other forms of street art. Curated walls are painted throughout the city and Calle Libre encourages the public to interact with the artists. The curators offer seminars, tours and events to help cultivate this bond between the artist and viewer. Their main goal is to teach a wider audience to appreciate that “street art” is a true form of art.


Artez: website | facebook | instagram
Calle Libre: website | facebook | instagram

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