A man dressed as Santa Claus sits at a bus stop before an annual race in Belgrade, Serbia December 27, 2015. (Photo by Marko Djurica/Reuters)

A businesswoman Maha Shalaby paints ostrich eggs in Cairo, Egypt November 27, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters)

Leading contemporary artist Remi LaBarre describes his evocative oils as “painted songs”. Influenced by John Singer Sargent, his work reflects the lighting of hushed environments and presents poetic narratives of life after dark in bars and clubs. Remi's acclaimed artwork has won him a formidable reputation in Europe and North America. His premier UK collection features a breathtaking quartet of musical portraits which represent an atmospheric homage to his great love of jazz.

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.

In this handout provided by Maritime New Zealand, MV Rena is battered by strong seas as it is stuck on Astrolabe Reef, on November 2, 2011 in Tauranga, New Zealand. The stricken vessel encountered a three metre swell, which led authorities to fear it may finally break up. Rena struck the reef on October 5, and has spilled 350 tonnes of oil, and almost 100 shipping containers. (Photo by Graeme Brown/Maritime New Zealand via Getty Images)

A protester is taken away by policewomen after storming into the government headquarters in Hong Kong September 27, 2014. (Photo by Bobby Yip/Reuters)

Multicolored nets are set under olive trees to collect the olives on November 27, 2013 in Castagniers, southeastern France. (Photo by Valery Hache/AFP Photo)

Local residents crowd a swimming pool during a hot weather in Suining, Sichuan province, 27 July 2008. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)