Actress Asia Argento attends the “Zulu” Premiere and Closing Ceremony during the 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals on May 26, 2013 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto)

Sun Jifa, a farmer in China, had his life changed forever when an explosive he planned on using for fishing went off prematurely. He lost his arms and when he couldn’t afford high-end, hospital-made prosthetics he opted for a cheaper set. Finding those to be less than acceptable, Sun started building his own pair of arms, which he currently wears. It’s an incredible story of ingenuity and personal strength.

Justin Rowe creates these magical sculptures from hand cut books and found images with the help of just a touch of gum arabic and 24 carat gold or palladium leaf. Some are very much in the realms of fairy stories like the one above, but my favourites are the stories below where Justin’s skill brings the book’s own illustrations to life.

Odin, a five year-old White Bengal Tiger dives for a piece of meat thrown to him by a trainer during a big cat show at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom June 1, 2007 in Vallejo, California. Unlike most cats that are afraid of water, Odin loves diving in the pool to retrieve bits of meat fed to him by his trainers. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“Nomascus is the second most speciose genus of gibbons (family Hylobatidae). Originally this genus was a subgenus of Hylobates, and all individuals were considered one species, Hylobates concolor. Species within Nomascus are characterized by 52 chromosomes. Some species are all black, some light with a distinct black tuft of crown fur, and some by distinct, light-colored cheek patches. Nomascus is found from southern China (Yunnan) to southern Vietnam, and also on Hainan Island. One of the genus' species, Nomascus nasutus, has been deemed “the most critically endangered ape species in the world”. All of the species in this genus are endangered or critically endangered”. – Wikipedia

Photo: A newborn White-Cheeked Gibbon clings to its mother in the Nanning Zoo on April 12, 2004 in Nanning, Guangxi province, China. The White-Cheeked Gibbon's natural habitat is Southern China as well as Vietnam and Laos. They are classified as highly endangered and are on the brink of extinction due to poaching and reduction of natural rainforests. (Photo by Getty Images)

Burmese children attend classes at a government run school December 14, 2011 in Waw township, Myanmar. The education system is based on the United Kingdom's system, after nearly a century of British and Christian presences in Burma. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

A woman rides her scooter as a dog chases her during heavy snowfall in Huai'an, in eastern China's Jiangsu province on February 4, 2024. (Photo by AFP Photo/China Stringer Network)

Maxime Taccardi is an artist who is most notable for his unusual method – creating his pieces using his own blood. He studied art in collage, his thesis focusing on the monstrosity and what is considered abnormal by society. Currently he is a middle school art teacher, but plans to continue furthering his creative career. His catalogue of work is varied, including painting, drawing, filmmaking and music.