Photographer Creates Stunning Optical Illusions With Makeup

A new project from photographer Alexander Khokhlov is prompting doubletakes and pushing portraiture in a new direction. The Moscow-based artist’s latest series, dubbed “2D or not 2D,” uses heavy makeup and post-production techniques to transform human faces into seemingly two-dimensional images. “We tried to make ‘alive posters,’” Alexander Khokhlov tells Yahoo Shine. “It’s challenging to make people look like a poster while at the same time not very digitized.” Working with makeup artist Valeriya Kutsan, and his wife, Veronica (whom he also describes as his muse), Khokhlov shot a total of 13 images, some of which are still in production. Here's a look at our favorite finished shots.— Jennifer Carofano