With the aim of making a political statement about torture methods such as waterboarding, German artist Dirk Dzimirsky began experimenting with water as a subject in his hyperrealistic art. While the final result looks less politically focused, Dzimirsky explains that it provided inspiration for his current direction. “The water stayed as an element in my work. It gives me the change to add different textures, tonal values and colors to a face which you usually do not find there.” With or without water, the subjects in his art all reveal a poetic vulnerability, captured beautifully in graphite, charcoal and oil paint.

Images © Dirk Dzimirsky