To produce the images that convey his fatalistic and ironic approach to life, tinged with hope, he needed the environment and knowledge of Mother Russia, oiled with a bit of bribery to certain circus trainers. Enter the Great Russian Bear, the personification of Russia for the last several centuries, onto center stage and into his studio. The bear is recognized as both brutish and cute – Misha was the mascot for the 1980 Olympic Games – and has remained a symbol of Russia since Tsarist times. In 2009 it is the symbol of the United Russia Party.

This artwork created using the end of a drill is the work of Swiss photographer Fabian Oefner who captures the flight of paint in just one 40,000th of a second. His latest Black Hole series celebrates the physics of centripetal force and the effects it has on simple paint and a an ordinary drill with a metal rod connected on the end. The incredible result of Fabians work comes out looking like a picture taken on the Hubble Telescope of some cosmic event. (Photo by Fabian Oefner/Caters News)

“Residents in a small town littered with giant potholes may be ready to “crack” the art world – after turning their massively damaged roads into hilarious masterpieces. Fun-natured drivers from Scranton, Pennsylvania have been challenged by an arts group to turn the ugly craters in their neighborhood into pothole art”. – Caters News. Photo: Cereal bowl pothole. (Photo by Caters News)

Bouwe Brouwer: Postcards from Fryslân (series finalist). “People from Fryslân are looked upon by the rest of the Netherlands as stubborn people. Going back as far as the Spanish occupation, they have a history of resisting authority. Postcards from Fryslân is still an ongoing project – hopefully a lifelong one. When it started, it represented only a collection of places that seemed interesting. Currently, the hope is to cover most of the province, as you never know in advance where the best narratives are. But still, it is all candid, unposed and in the public realm”. (Photo by Bouwe Brouwer/Street Photographers Awards 2021)

Women talk during a Slutwalk march for the right of women to wear what they want without harassment on May 28, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia. The Slutwalk began with a small protest in Toronto, Canada, when women marched against a policeman who claimed he was told women should “avoid dressing like sl*ts in order not to be victimized”. Slutwalks are scheduled for Adeleaide and Sydney as well as other cities in North America and Europe. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Yogis and street performers have been simulating levitation with nifty contraptions forever. They appear to be held aloft via nothing but their preternatural mental prowess. But are really enjoying the benefits of basic physics just like the rest of us when we use a chair. However, just because it’s perfectly explainable doesn’t mean it isn’t nifty. I’m especially impressed by this 2-person version and am still trying to work out how exactly the chair they’re using is shaped at the base.