Sharks are often seen as the most dangerous underwater creatures, but one artist decided to humanize them through his work. His name is Chris Austin, and his surreal illustrations show sharks inhabiting our world in the most magnificent way.
Austin is a painter and sculptor from Toronto, Canada, and he fell in love with art in his youth, while browsing through sci-fi books at a local library. His approach to art has been evolving for years, and he finally found his footing once he decided to use his surrealist vision to present nature around us in a whole new light.
Austin has been fascinated by the vast elusiveness of the ocean since his youth, and he decided to put sharks front and center in his art, hoping he’ll change the way we perceive these ocean predators.
“I remember as a child visiting a local marine amusement park, and seeing these beautiful creatures locked up made me so angry and sad. To help my feelings as a child I drew wildlife living free, interacting with humans in a non-captive way, in the wild where there weren’t any cages,” he explained in an interview with Beinart Gallery.
Sharks are not limited to the ocean in his paintings, and they can be seen swimming through forests and cities, creating the contrasting effect that Austin’s art is best known for.
