When I stumbled upon artist Fabien Barrau on Bored Panda, I had to google the word “pareidolia” which is what inspires his photo manipulation art. But, once I understood the definition I was captivated by his work!

Pareidolia is defined as “the psychological phenomenon that causes people to see patterns in a random stimulus. This often leads to people assigning human characteristics to objects.” Which I can recall experiences myself, but I had no idea there was a name for it!

I am a long-time lover of photo mosaics and any imagery that tricks the eye, or just pulls you in and makes you scratch your head. So naturally, this artist has my attention. Using Photoshop, Barrau takes images of nature, animals and famous landmarks and morphs them into something magical, mystifying and unnatural.

Whether it’s the Statue of Liberty drifting away in the Atlantic Ocean, the Colosseum in the middle of the Sahara or the face of a Macaw among the flames of a forest fire, Barrau photo manipulation art can transport you, open your imagination and in some cases make an important statement.

Even more impressive, Barrau doesn’t just rely on stock images to curate media. Using a drone, the artist takes his own photographs of scenery to build these amazing photo manipulation artworks! Check out more of his artwork by following him on Instagram!