A series of Japanese good luck charms, called “Daruma”, are lined up ahead of the major national elections November 9, 2003 in Takasaki, Japan. The Daruma is said to bring exceptional good luck in all walks of life, but is used especially during election time by all candidates. People think that if they face a difficult situation, as symbolized by the doll that returns to its original position when knocked over, they will always bounce back. (Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images)

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.

Beneath the Swedish capital lies an intricate web of underground train lines. More than 90 of the 100 stations in the 110km tunnel system, sometimes referred to as “the world’s longest art gallery”, have been decorated with paintings, installations, mosaics and sculptures by 150 artists since the 1950s. After spending a couple of weeks exploring arctic Norway and Sweden, London-based travel photographer Conor MacNeill headed underground to capture images of the metro stations. Here: A rainbow arcs over a girl on the platform of Stadion station. (Photo by Conor MacNeill/The Observer)

A Santa Claus taking a selfie on a surfboard is seen in the yard of a home in the Sleepy Hollow area of Torrance, California, United States, December 15, 2015. In many neighborhoods of Los Angeles, homeowners compete for the most lavish and creative holiday light displays. Torrance's Sleepy Hollow is one such neighborhood where every home outdoes the next: surfing Santas, life-size nativity scenes, ferris wheels, and giant inflatable snowmen line the lawns on every street. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

A man dressed in traditional clothes tries to pull his opponent over the table at the 40th Alpine Country Championships in Fingerhakeln_finger wrestling_ in Woernsmuehl, Germany, Thursday, May 25, 2017. Competitors battled for the title in this traditional rural sport where the winner has to pull his opponent over a marked line on the table. (Photo by Matthias Schrader/AP Photo)

Earlier this year, Belgian film-maker and artist Vincent Bal stumbled upon an uncanny resemblance to an elephant in the shadow of his tea cup. This gave him the idea for Shadowology, a series of doodles that interact with the shadows of simple, everyday objects: a banknote, some ice cubes and a flower, for example, can turn into a church, a woman and a hippy. “I draw a few lines and I get my image. It’s really the shadows that inspire me”, Bal says. Here: “Stonedog”. (Photo by Vincent Bal/The Guardian)

Zhang Shifan's sixth-generation facekinis in Shandong Province, Qingdao, East China. A woman credited with inventing the bizarre swimwear known as the “facekini” has now proudly presented the sixth generation of the iconic beach clothing. The new facekini models are not only more comfortable, they also come in a wider variety of colours and patterns, bringing both style and practicality to beach-goers in Qingdao City, in East China's Shandong Province, who fear tan lines. (Photo by CEN)