Clever Street Artist Paints Fake Shadows to Playfully Trick Passersby

Shadow Art Street Art Damon Belanger Redwood City

Working in a myriad of mediums, California-based creative Damon Belanger is known for his eclectic oeuvre. While he dabbles in everything from package design to culture-inspired paintings, his most recent endeavor is a playful street art project that gives ordinary objects silly and surprising shadows.

Belanger was commissioned to adorn the streets of downtown Redwood City, California, with 20 fanciful public pieces. By painting faux shadows on the sidewalk, he has transformed the seemingly ordinary city into a whimsical wonderland. Using public features like benches and bicycle racks as inspiration, the artist creates peculiar shadows that breathe new life into the city's overlooked sites. In Belanger's world, a mailbox is actually a smiling monster, a parking kiosk is transformed into a monkey on a pedestal, and a city map is revealed to be a robot.

To create each curious piece, Belanger first chooses the object that will cast the “shadow.” He then creates a chalk outline of a character, strategically angling it in such a way that resembles a real cast shadow. Once he is pleased with his sketch, he uses dark grey paint to fill it in, and—voila! An everyday fixture becomes a quirky character, proving that any public space can be an artist's playground!

For his latest street art project, Damon Belanger has introduced a series of playful shadow art to downtown Redwood City.

Shadow Art Street Art Damon Belanger Redwood City

Shadow Art Street Art Damon Belanger Redwood City

Shadow Art Street Art Damon Belanger Redwood City

Shadow Art Street Art Damon Belanger Redwood City

Shadow Art Street Art Damon Belanger Redwood City

Shadow Art Street Art Damon Belanger Redwood City

Shadow Art Street Art Damon Belanger Redwood City

Shadow Art Street Art Damon Belanger Redwood City

Shadow Art Street Art Damon Belanger Redwood City

Shadow Art Street Art Damon Belanger Redwood City

Damon Belanger: Website | Instagram
h/t: [Bored Panda]

All images via Damon Belanger unless otherwise stated.

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Kelly Richman-Abdou

Kelly Richman-Abdou is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. An art historian living in Paris, Kelly was born and raised in San Francisco and holds a BA in Art History from the University of San Francisco and an MA in Art and Museum Studies from Georgetown University. When she’s not writing, you can find Kelly wandering around Paris, whether she’s leading a tour (as a guide, she has been interviewed by BBC World News America and France 24) or simply taking a stroll with her husband and two tiny daughters.
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