Victor Enrich

“If some day somebody makes buildings the way I paint them, I think that the world will have gone mad”

Victor Enrich is a Spanish photographer who rips all the science from architecture to create surreal and whimsical variations on existing buildings. A tower unzips, a road goes straight up, and multi-story slides protrude from balconies. These buildings cannot possibly exist, but in a sense, they do.

Enrich starts with his own photos of actual places, then he spends a month digitally editing each shot. The goal is “realism,” and by working wholly from real-world building blocks, his buildings come off as remarkably authentic and, often, almost possible. Much of his work is a mere half step from plausible, which makes it so much fun to the eye.

 

“Most architects respect the law 'form follows function’ … my 'buildings’ definitely don’t have an architectonic function … but they DO have other functions …” writes Enrich. That function is, more often than not, sly cultural commentary buried under a layer of Enrich’s sense of humor. He renders the Orchid Hotel of Tel Aviv with sprouting top floors, each in an arms race to have the best view. But, at a more visceral level, you feel like you’re looking at french fries--then look a bit closer, and you’ll spot the McDonald’s near the first floor.