An artist has created a homage to cultural and historical figures – by immortalising them as Star Wars characters. Mike Leavitt wanted to “document the pulse of our times” through his sculpture by splicing non-fiction characters with famous faces. He chose the sci-fi trilogy as a basis for what he calls his “pop culture satirical mash-ups”, with many of the pieces hand-carved from wood. The hilarious results include Albert Einstein as R2D2, Michael Jackson as an Ewok and Angelina Jolie in Princess Leia's famous slave girl outfit. Photo: Gandhi as Yoda. (Photo by Mike Leavitt/Rex USA)

From a height of three meters, porcelain figurines are dropped on the ground, and the sound they make when they hit trips the shutter release. The result: razor-sharp images of disturbing beauty—temporary sculptures made visible to the human eye by high-speed photography technology. The porcelain statuette bursting into pieces isn't what really captures the attention; the fascination lies in the genesis of a dynamic figure that replaces the static pose. In contrast to the inertness of the intact kitsch figurines Klimas started out with, the photographs of their destruction possess a powerfully narrative character.

Tattooist Jay Freestyle, who is based in Amsterdam, creates what only can be described as works of art that last forever on his clients' skin. His style is freehand – without any sketch or stencil and he inks the incredible drawings straight onto body parts. They might look expertly planned, but the swashes of colour, detailed line work and geometric shapes are all the result of some clever improvisation. Photo: An amazing example of his mixed style. (Photo by Jay Freestyle/360 Media Solutions)

A young boy rests by empty USAID vegetable oil tins in the Dagahaley refugee camp which makes up part of the giant Dadaab refugee settlement on July 19, 2011 in Dadaab, Kenya. The refugee camp at Dadaab, located close to the Kenyan border with Somalia, was originally designed in the early 1990s to accommodate 90,000 people but the UN estimates over 4 times as many reside there. The ongoing civil war in Somalia and the worst drought to affect the Horn of Africa in six decades has resulted in an estimated 12 million people whose lives are threatened. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

India cricket fans light firecrackers as they celebrate India winning the ICC Champions Trophy on a street in Varanasi, on March 9, 2025. India beat New Zealand by four wickets on March 9, 2025 in the one-day international (ODI) final to claim a record third Champions Trophy title. (Photo by Niharika Kulkarni/AFP Photo)

South African singer Tyla, centre, and British editor Anna Wintour, right, attend the Chanel Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented Tuesday, March 11, 2025. in Paris. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP Photo)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States skate during the Ice Dance, Free Dance program of the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 29, 2025. (Photo by Geoff Robins/AFP Photo)

Vanessa Low of the ACT competes in the Women's PA Senior Long Jump Final during the 2025 Australian Open and Under 20 Athletics Championships at WA Athletics Stadium on April 10, 2025 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)