Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we don’t always seek out beauty. Horror films, true crime documentaries, and a towering, freshly grilled burger are all “beautiful” in their own way, but perhaps not universally appealing. So it’s not surprising that some artists would choose to create works that stimulate us precisely by avoiding conventions. 

This internet group gathers examples of “strange, weird, unique” art from around the world, from drawings to sculptures and art installations. So scroll through and upvote the pieces you find the most interesting. And if you feel like sharing, let us know in the comments about what you enjoyed and why. 

#1 “Experiment”. Oil On Canvas, 40×60 Cm

Image credits: osapavlova

#2 Tower Of Souls, Scott Dow Of Corry Pa

Image credits: BerkshireMtnSculptor

#3 Bicycle Chain Sculpture, By Me

Image credits: Pink_Sock_Bandit

The “Unusual Art” internet group is one of many places online where people can share and discuss various artistic endeavors. While the topic is somewhat niche, it boasts a healthy 59 thousand users, all interested in the “weirder” side of art. Some artists who end up having their works rejected from other groups will also post them here, so give “Unusual Art” a follow, if that sounds right in your wheelhouse.

While perceptions of beauty will vary, we do have a fascination with the unusual. In the early 20th century, when artists started to experiment with more “strange” styles and images, there was pushback from some segments of society. People, used to generally realistic images of nature, people, and so on were now encountering abstract and sometimes unsettling images that were downright hard to label. 

#4 Last Light By Kim Dorland

Image credits: MinneyGucci

#5 My Over The Garden Wall Fanart, Ballpoint Pen

Image credits: ArtofDecay

#6 R/Art Rejected This So I Thought Y’all Would Like It

Image credits: OPG_GOD

Artists pushed back, as many believed that photography had made “realistic” painting completely unnecessary. So the role of the artist was to create art, not just a visual depiction. Clement Greenberg, an American essayist, summed it up nicely in a 1960s article: “Realistic, naturalistic art had dissembled the medium, using art to conceal art; modernism used art to call attention to art. The limitations that constitute the medium of painting—the flat surface, the shape of the support, the properties of the pigment—were treated by the Old Masters as negative factors that could be acknowledged only implicitly or indirectly. Under Modernism, these same limitations came to be regarded as positive factors, and were acknowledged openly.”

#7 Woman With Schizophrenia Drew What She Saw On Her Walls

Image credits: QuantumAna

#8 Western By Me Anoxical

Image credits: hecticpillow

#9 Happy Little Accident. Blender Collision Simulation Acted Weird And I Got This Result By Accident

Image credits: zebvisionx

Most people see this debate as a question of beauty, and modern art no longer values beauty is the traditional response. However, this overlooks the reality that even the “old masters” could and would depict events that were hardly beautiful in any sense of the word. Francisco Goya, who painted in the 17th century, depicted, for example, French soldiers shooting Spanish captives. 

#10 When Death Fell In Love With Life, Graphite And Colored Pencil On Paper, Sergey Zagarovski, 2021

Image credits: AspiringOccultist4

#11 Two Of Swords, Digital Artwork By Anna Christenson, 2021

Image credits: AspiringOccultist4

#12 I May Have Ruined Christmas Lunch By Saying That I See A Dinosaur In My Brother-In-Law’s Expensive Painting. Now It’s All That Anyone Can See. Do You See It Too?

Image credits: MonkeyMan504

This just goes to illustrate the difficulty we have when it comes to accurately describing beauty and how it makes us feel. It’s “in the eye of the beholder,” yet most people can find common elements that they find visually appealing, like turquoise water on a clean, sandy beach. But at the same time, tastes will differ in nearly every aspect of our lives, from music, to film to literal taste. 

#13 Strawberry, Me, Ink And Digital Color, 2022

Image credits: 00Bolzak00

#14 I Made A New Yarn Bowl

Image credits: OtherwisePop6430

#15 Oc

Image credits: 00Bolzak00

But these sorts of debates on beauty overlook the fact that art doesn’t just exist to reveal beauty. In some sense, this is an egoistic way to see it, as often enough we just happen to be observers of what an artist has felt compelled to create. Some researchers argue that to create is just human nature, as we are the only animal that just does it. There are examples in nature of animals creating non-functional structures, but these tend to be part of a mating ritual. But who is to say that impressing others wasn’t the origin of our own artistic drives? 

#16 I’m Somewhat New To Reddit But I Was Told My Art Would Be Appreciated Here. These Are Some Slimy Brain Shelves My Wife And I Painted Together

Image credits: Carrion_heart

#17 Artwork By Lizz Lopez

Image credits: AspiringOccultist4

#18 The Will, Enrique Martínez Celaya, Oil And Wax On Canvas, 2022

Image credits: AspiringOccultist4

#19 K.o By Me

Image credits: hecticpillow

#20 Tattoo Design Venetian Doctor

Image credits: No_Nectarine_3687

#21 Moonrise, Phyllis Shafer, Oil On Canvas, 2015

Image credits: AspiringOccultist4

#22 The Strings

Image credits: Ginandmilk87

#23 The Garden Of Deception, Artwork By Andrew Blucha, 2022

Image credits: AspiringOccultist4

#24 I Make Preserved Spiderwebs! *no Spiders Are Harmed Making These*

Image credits: wickednympet

#25 The Abyss Watchers – Draca Wilford, Oil On Canvas, 2022

Image credits: dw_art

#26 Artist Unknown. Found This In A Box In The Basement

Image credits: SamW20910

#27 Illustration By Andrew Blucha

Image credits: AspiringOccultist4

#28 Sunset Sailing

Image credits: starwaterbird

#29 Dance Of The Dandelion, Salvador Dali, Oil On Canvas, 1944

Image credits: AspiringOccultist4

#30 Mundane Things [oc]

Image credits: tan_v159

#31 Artwork By Gaku Azuma

Image credits: AspiringOccultist4

#32 I Made A Flyer To Advertise Luxury Cave Apartments

Image credits: FraternityMan

#33 Untitled

Image credits: 00Bolzak00

#34 An Unusual Guitarist

Image credits: jamesshedden

#35 A Few New Blacklight Monsters I’ve Made Recently. Thanks For Looking!

Image credits: iamryancase

#36 Death, Me, Mixed Media, 2022

Image credits: 00Bolzak00

#37 Onward By Parker Steven Jackson

Image credits: Slow-moving-sloth

#38 Someone Suggested This Subreddit, Hope You Like It

Image credits: The_LenNerd

#39 Jardinone, Mini Pop Art, Acrylic And Spray Paint, 2019

Image credits: gammapsi05

#40 Carved Avocado Pits Art , Me , 2019

Image credits: monday_maybe

#41 I Like To Paint Over Thrift Store Artwork. Finally Got Ahold Of A Norman Rockwell.

Image credits: murdrfaze

#42 Sis, Get Out The Way I Wanna See The Rainbow, By Marie Ève Richard, Oils 2022

Image credits: marieeverichard

#43 “The Way I Want To Dance”

Image credits: gulugul_gulugulu

#44 I Draw On Post-It Notes

Image credits: bryanthebryan

#45 Flauna Sculpture Of A Squirrel Monkey. By Me

Image credits: Antsculpt

#46 I Was Hired By Cheech & Chong To Design A Surreal Themed Poster. Here It Is!

Image credits: Joeyhowellart

#47 Möbius Ship

Image credits: reddit.com

#48 Cyberethereal, Me, Procreate, 2022

Image credits: 00Bolzak00

#49 I Paint With My Own Blood!

Image credits: -_Hey_Adora_-

#50 Power Of Imagination, Me, Watercolor And Ink, 2017

Image credits: Franco_R

#51 Not So Daily Colour Practice, 1 – 19

Image credits: DingleMuffins

#52 Giant Cheese Slice Painting, Acrylic On Wood

Image credits: MMMearsArt

#53 Hi Hi Hi

Image credits: jaDEADprincess

#54 My First Post! I Have No Clue What I’m Doing

Image credits: thislatteblows

#55 I Drew An Alien Invasion

Image credits: BazaarMonk

#56 Immateria Study 1, Me, Ink And Acrylic, 2023

Image credits: GoblinSuplex

#57 Untitled

Image credits: eviepotato

#58 I’ve Been Repainting Unsolicited Pics And Sending Them Back The The Person

Image credits: marveldeadpool

#59 Does Anyone Know Where I Can Find More Art Like This?

Image credits: Wolk1117

#60 Death

Image credits: michaelzrk

#61 You Find A Strange Fountain Near The Maze Entrance

Image credits: jamesshedden

#62 Original Art By Me

Image credits: Cat_Skellington_Art

#63 “Fig” The Trash Frog

Image credits: Sugarfox_art

#64 Just Follow Your Dreams By Adrian Borda, Oil On Canvas, 2019

Image credits: Slow-moving-sloth

#65 Cocroach Dreaming

Image credits: reddit.com

#66 Lord Of The Rings/ Eye Of Sauron Hoodie Painted With Bleach By Me!

Image credits: GRiME_G59

#67 My Grandma’s Last Fight

Image credits: lofiartist_n

#68 Check It Out. Submitted This To The Pabst Blue Ribbon Contest Guess They Didn’t Like It Too Much. All Good

Image credits: thetaylorlove

#69 Heal, … End The Cycle

Image credits: Markoriginals

#70 For A Minute There I Lost Myself By Gaia Alari

Image credits: ceally

#71 My Sister Works In Customer Care Over The Phone. She Draws Pictures Of What She Thinks The Person On The Other End Of The Line Looks Like Based On How They Sound. This Was Today’s

Image credits: wetdreamteam

#72 The Star, By (Me) Brock Springstead

Image credits: BrockSart

#73 Shadow People By Me

Image credits: cloudpeoples

#74 Mt Baker, Me, Blanket Canvas, 2020

Image credits: blanketstatement_art

#75 Painting While Fevered = Weird Results

Image credits: O_O–ohboy

#76 Someone Told Me My Painting Belongs Here, So Here It Is!

Image credits: vickyboyer

#77 Death Of A Gravedigger, Carlos Schwabe, Oil On Canvas, 1900

Image credits: AspiringOccultist4

#78 I Drew This With My Hands

Image credits: pylonfisher

#79 Made From Recycled Skateboards By Disabled Skater (Me)

Image credits: mobiusmaples

#80 ‘bicycle Thief’, Me, Oil On Canvas, 2022

Image credits: the-wrong-leader

#81 Sedentary Animal, By Me, Ceramic Sculpture, 2020

Image credits: Yugoguerin

#82 Uh Oh

Image credits: jaDEADprincess

#83 Catty Long Legs

Image credits: Murvyn

#84 Salvation, My Son [oc]

Image credits: cult_af_brockbrock

#85 Weird Stuff By Me

Image credits: SpaghettiboiDudeMan

#86 Making Porridge [oc]

Image credits: cult_af_brockbrock

#87 ‘carbon Based Lifeform’ Handprinted Linocut 27.5×39 In – 70×100 Cm

Image credits: NOG11

#88 Breakfast At Sloth’s

Image credits: mrcanopener

#89 Boney Guy Shopping For A Friend, Thoughts? Oc

Image credits: mental_foundry

#90 The Liar (Fourth Variation), By Me, Ceramic Sculpture With Cracked Glaze And China Ink, 2021

Image credits: Yugoguerin

#91 [oc] I Paint These Eerie Cats!

Image credits: Ashbreeze

#92 I Drew One Of My Nightmares

Image credits: BazaarMonk

#93 Found At The Alameda Flea Market

Image credits: teglovox

#94 ‘little Dark Age’

Image credits: Varanasii

#95 Dino Tomb

Image credits: NaturallyIrrational

#96 A Fellow Redditor Suggested I Post This Here, It’s Still A Work In Progress. Hope You Like It

Image credits: henrycm_com

#97 Wip, Portrait Of My Parents, Mixed Media On Canvas, 3 X 4 Feet

Image credits: Klondike_banana

#98 Emotions

Image credits: MADMAXV2

#99 Blossom II, Erik Thor Sandberg, Oil On Panel, 2017

Image credits: Slow-moving-sloth

#100 I Can’t Draw Realistic To Save My Life, But I Have Developed My Own Style, And Maybe You Like It?

Image credits: trinketstone

#101 I Don’t Know If This Is Considered “Unusual” But I Made These. I’ll Delete If It’s Not Fitting!

Image credits: reddit.com

#102 Ten Years Ago My Girlfriend At The Time Gave Me A Painting Her Aunt Did In The 70s. It’s Hung Proudly Over My Toilet Ever Since

Image credits: AKandSevenForties

#103 The Faces I See Everywhere

Image credits: QuantumAna

#104 The Scenic Route. Collaboration With A Friend

Image credits: BlueBluffs

#105 Back With Some More Surreal Stuff

Image credits: portuguese-manowar

#106 Sleeping In A Truck, Through The Night

Image credits: MiserableAnkle

#107 Sitting Girl

Image credits: siyu_art

#108 ‘He Danced Well Into The Evening’, By Me (Pen On Piece Of Cardboard I Found)

Image credits: anglekoi

#109 Entropy Help-Line

Image credits: FraternityMan

#110 Woke Up In The Metro And Found This Next To Me. Anyone Know What This Is??

Image credits: Ok_Albatross_6745

#111 ‘I Like Sherbet’ – Acrylic, Collage And Digital – Me, 2022

Image credits: DannyDaviesArtist

#112 Wear A Mask

Image credits: mr_been

#113 Gluttony By Victor Fota, Oil On Aluminium Panel, 2019

Image credits: Slow-moving-sloth

#114 Lucid

Image credits: thelandscape

#115 Phases

Image credits: zalgorhythm

#116 Forest Stream By Fourbythree

Image credits: PsychedelicViking

#117 “Canine” Painted This For Art Class When I Was 16

Image credits: knfe_prty

#118 Volcano Cat Painting By Me. Acrylic On Paper

Image credits: KristjanaArts

#119 Forgotten Tomb

Image credits: NaturallyIrrational

#120 Rusting Dimensions Collection, Magnus Moon, 2022

Image credits: Major_Moon

#121 So Tell Me Why You Feel That Way

Image credits: Zach-Plaengam

#122 Untitled

Image credits: eviepotato

#123 “Teeth” Paper Mache / Plaster Mask

Image credits: misseskite

#124 “Labascate”, Sailor Compass Fountain Pen, By Me, 2022

Image credits: VanCityHunter

#125 A Self Portrait! Some Days You Wake Up And In The Mirror You Just See A Monster

Image credits: Ninphadora

#126 My Handmade Gloves With Extra Long Fingers

Image credits: JessicaCrafternoon

#127 Pen And Ink

Image credits: Tandizojere

#128 I Myself Am…. Strange… Unusual. So It’s Only Natural That My Pieces Turn Out The Same Way! 2020. Copic Markers. 11” X 14” Strathmore Mixed Media Paper

Image credits: BranBriz

#129 Psychedelic Cat (Art By Me)

Image credits: Floofywoo

#130 Extra Weird Today [oc]

Image credits: cult_af_brockbrock

#131 I’ve Had So Many Requests To Recreate Coraline In My Style Over The Years. This Was The Result. (Oc)

Image credits: BranBriz

#132 Just Found This Sub. Love It Here! Here Are Some Of My Unique Takes On This Art Thing. All Oc

Image credits: DoctorBoombot

#133 Iceberg Cat Painting By Me. Acrylic On Paper

Image credits: KristjanaArts

#134 Smiling Beast, Me, Earthenware, 2022

Image credits: Yugoguerin