Lapping up the side of a three-story building in Kiev, Ukraine, this dark mural mixes blue and gray hues to capture dark waters and skies of the Black Sea.

Originally from London and based in Cape Town, South Africa, artist Jake Aikman enjoys working on extreme and dramatic landscapes, from dark blue oceans to dark green forests and distant lonely mountains.

The focus in most of his pieces is not so much the scene but the setting — especially at larger scales and absent figures, as in this piece, they create a tone or mood rather than telling a particular story. In short: they leave a lot to the imagination, like a blank canvass providing a time and place but no characters.

This particular piece is one of his largest to date and was produced for Art United Us. Spanning the entire side of a structure, it was completed in just over a week.

If context is critical to understanding art, then what happens to a work when you push a famous piece through time and space to a highly familiar and everyday place? Where fine artwork meets street scenes, strange and beautiful things begin to happen.

In a series called Art History in Contemporary Life, Ukrainian artist Alexey Kondakov elaborately relocates key figures from their historical canvasses into jarringly mundane settings, putting classical art in modern contexts. The results are seamless and convincing – one could almost imagine rehanging the hybrid works back up in museums.

Madonna, child and a chorus of angels are suddenly found sitting in a dirty subway car, cherubs flutter below a shanty overhang and a half-naked hand harp player spins tunes for pennies for commuting pedestrians. Famous figures share drinks at a modern dive while lovers kiss on a darkened subway car.

Night never comes to this massive complex newly constructed in China. Complete with its own artificial sun (as well as beaches and waves), the world’s largest structure is not a skyscraper but a building both horizontally and vertically vast.

The New Century Global Center in Chengdu, Sichuan, has offices, shops and five-star hotels as you might expect, but it also has simulated exterior spaces with LED screens depicting views of artificial horizons as well as theaters, amusement park rides and an Olympic-sized ice skating rink.

Its square footage is hard to fathom, even in meters (1.7 million square), so its creators have come up with another way to visualize the enormity of the space: you could fit 20 Sydney Opera Houses inside of it, 3 copies of the Pentagon or 329 football fields.

Critics call it boring and massive, but fans admire its relative simplicity and highlight its variegated interior experiences. Though basically minimal overall, a thick and wavy roof line helps define it and provides a way to brand and identify it as both a Chinese structure and potentially iconic symbol.

Everyone always says bigger is better, but sometimes it’s nice to flip expectations on their head and give small a chance. When big gets boring, these are the awesome miniature inventions you need to see.

Miniature Cars

(Images via loqu, lahoridanda, ecojoes, onehead-manoj, darkroastedblend)

Anyone who has ridden in a mini cooper knows the joy of riding in a powerful light car with enough zoom to zig and zag with the best of them. Why not knock it a down a notch and pick an XXS vehicle for a tour around the town?

Hobbit-sized Homes

(Images via shawnhogan, alldoing)

It’s important for one’s environment and finances not to purchase more square footage than necessary. Just be sure not to take this mentality to an extreme, or one’s home might be a tad too far on the cozy side.

Tiniest in the World

(Images via worldssmallest, seriouseats, girlssecretroom, 2dayblog)

While it’s great to be able to ride a miniature scooter, or super small sportster, more mundane objects can be just as intriguing. Anything made small enough is a wonder of artistry, especially when this creation is edible.

Smallest Working Train Models

(Images via telegraph, whiteriverandnorthern, blingcheese)

It’s rare that a train enthusiast has to worry about losing one of their models in a pants pocket, but it would no longer be unheard of. These trains are some of the smallest and to see them in action is a wonder in both model creation and macro camera technology.

A Tiny Trip to the Theater

(Images via ethiopianreview, daniellemagesamato)

The world’s smallest cinema only has room for one patron, but that doesn’t make those flicks any less enjoyable, especially with the ability to watch a movie powered by solar panels in the middle of the outdoors. If one would rather take in a small play, head over to England and visit a restroom that’s been converted into a quaint theater.

Mini Motorcycling

(Images via viewgadgets, gamespot, loqu, mjperry, future-motorcycles, gadgethobby)

Motorcycles are typically a sign of masculinity and power, which makes miniature bikes that much stranger. It’s no doubt that a ride on one of these tiny powerhouses would be an enjoyable one.

The Tiniest Aircraft

(Images via sportpilot, macandsal, schultzairshows)

For those who hate feeling out of control on a flight, there’s not much more one can do than drive one of these incredibly small aircraft. No one can complain if the room service is poor on one of these flights, that’s for sure.