Surreal, Minimalist Cityscapes Too Sublime for This World

At first glance, these striking architectural compositions by Florence-based digital artist Michele Durazzi look like abstracted photographs of real buildings—a subject that's been ripe for exploration. Eventually though, neither the believable human figures spotted in the images nor the world's growing portfolio of organically-shaped, colorless buildings (thanks Zaha!) can suppress your mental alarm that these arresting scenes are just not possible. Indeed, as Durazzi explains over email, none of the structures here are based off real-world architecture. Instead, aiming to explore "surreal minimalism," Durazzi's compositions zoom in on architectural details that are familiar yet improbable (i.e. facades with intricate paper-like folds or ginormous slits), contexualized by a seemingly authentic person, bike, boat, or vehicle. Viewers, then, are prompted to fill in the gaps, constructing for themselves a vision of what a world with Durazzi's creations might look like.

So far, Durazzi has completed two parts of this series titled "Was ist Metaphysik?" ("What is Metaphysics?"), borrowed from a lecture by German philosopher Martin Heidegger. Part one examines white forms, while part two focuses on water. Follow Durazzi's latest work on Behance.

· Was ist Metaphysik? by Michele Durazzi [Behance]
· These Montages of Surreal Homes Paint a Bizarre New World [Curbed]
· 'The Duel Between Man and Architecture,' in 21 Arresting Shots [Curbed]