Thorsten Mowes has a more intimate knowledge of the worlds most famous monuments than perhaps anyone else on the planet – because hes spent his entire career cleaning them. As a cultural cleaning expert with nearly 25 years experience, he has been commissioned to make wonders all over the world shine like new – from the London Eye to Christ the Redeemer. The places he has been to, stood on top of, or even hung halfway down include Mount Rushmore and the Space Needle in America, the London Eye, the Statue of Christ in Brazil and the Forbidden City in China. Here: A man cleans a part of Mount Rushmore. (Photo by Caters News Agency)

“The Red Beach is located in the Liaohe River Delta, about 30 kilometer southwest of Panjin City in China. The beach gets its name from its appearance, which is caused by a type of sea weed that flourishes in the saline-alkali soil...”. – Amusing Planet. Photo: Panjin Red Beach (盘锦红海滩). (Photo by 猪倌)

This photo taken on April 5, 2013 shows Buddhist monks passing a yak in Seda Monastery, the largest Tibetan Buddhist school in the world, with up to 40,000 monks and nuns in residence for some parts of the year. Seda, known to Tibetans as Serthar is located in Ganzi prefecture in the west of China's Sichuan province and has become a hotbed of protests and violence since the Tibetan uprisings of March 2008. (Photo by Peter Parks/AFP Photo)

“In honor of Friday’s World Press Freedom Day, the non-governmental organization Reporters sans frontières (Reporters Without Borders) launched a campaign depicting world-famous dictators giving everyone the finger, or the international equivalent thereof”. – Kay Steiger. (Photo by Vincent Bousserez/Reporters Without Borders)

Karl Bang's paintings are unique because he combines totally different styles of painting within the same format. It is very difficult to design a balanced composition with realistic elements that are juxtaposed with flat colors and patterns. The faces of his subjects are painted realistically in the Western tradition with subtle gradations of color; while, his figures and costumes vignette into abstracted shapes, lines, flat colors and patterns that reflect Karl's background in China. It is as though there are different visual languages being spoken within his paintings.

Swimmers climb out of a pool carved into the thick ice covering the Songhua River during the Harbin Ice Swimming Competition in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province January 5, 2014. According to organisers, about 700 swimmers across China took part in the event on the official launch day of the Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

A model poses beside a Renault DeZir concept car during the media day of the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition at Shanghai New International Expo Center on April 20, 2011 in Shanghai, China. The 14th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition (Auto Shanghai 2011) will be held from April 21 to 28 with the theme of “Innovation For Tomorrow”. About 2,000 carmakers and parts providers from 20 countries are due to showcase 1,100 car models, 75 of which makes their world premieres in the auto show. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

A North Korean soldier looks through a window at Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (L) and her partner Tim Mathieson (C) while they visit the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC) meeting room at the border village of Panmunjom, between South and North Korea, on April 24, 2011 South Korea. Gillard will visit Japan, the Republic of Korea and China during a bilateral tour of North Asia from April 20-27. (Photo by Jeon Heon-Kyun-pool/Getty Images)