You might struggle to put a Rubik’s Cube together (don’t worry, we can’t do it either), but some people seem to make it look so easy.
Artist Giovanni Contardi doesn’t bother just solving the cube, he uses it to create art.
The 24-year-old has been using 700-730 of them to make celebrity portraits that are five feet tall.
Some of the notable stars include Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, and the late Amy Winehouse.
Jared Leto, in his Joker character, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, and Marilyn Monroe also make the cut.
The Italian artist, based in Melbourne, has racked up 20,000 followers on Instagram and has even caught the eye of the celebrities in the pictures.
Having solved his first Rubik’s cube aged 7, Giovanni began competing worldwide in his early teens, eventually winning the European Rubik’s Cube Championship in 2010.
The Rubik’s Cube enthusiast is able to construct his masterpieces within a matter of hours – his quickest being just one hour and 40 minutes.
‘I start by printing off a photo of the celebrity I admire at the time – usually it’s someone from a TV series or film I’ve watched that week,’ he explained.
‘I use a grid to divide the portrait into every single cube, so that is faster to reproduce. Then I get all the cubes ready in preparation before putting them into crates.
‘The most enjoyable part is figuring out how to use oranges and reds to make definition in the face. That’s the most challenging thing and takes between an hour or two.’
After he completes each cube, laying them all out to create the faces takes just under three hours, he said.
Having been solving them for almost ten years, Giovanni said he finds the process of completing and putting the cubes together relaxing.
‘I’ve only done about 20 portraits so it’s early days. But I’m hoping I’ll be able to do some permanent installations soon in different areas around the world.
‘My favourite is my latest one of Millie Bobby Brown as I’ve recently started watching Stranger Things.
‘I’m planning to do Will Smith next. He’s a celebrity I’ve been wanting to do for a long time so I’m very excited.’
Take a look at his masterpieces:
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