German artist 
German artist Tobias Kroeger, also known by his moniker “Tobe”, made his career as a successful street artist, but in 2013 he suddenly stopped and turned his attention towards the canvas. What he created is a series of glitchy portraits inspired by his roots in graffiti and a growing concern for our addiction to technology. “Composed of data fragments and machine parts”, his depiction of people is not far from the truth; a portrait of a new generation, living their lives in front of the computer screen.
Kroeger’s paintings are often described as “Graffuturism”: a combination of graffiti in their influence and futurism in their abstraction and dynamism. But the artist primarily sees his work as an exploration, “searching for a contemporary way to paint the people of our century by using elements from fine art and graffiti to create a new, interesting and inspiring imagery. The graphic elements are used as a symbol of unfollowed dreams and heteronomy in our society,” he writes at his website.
Though usually colorful and bright, the concept behind Kroeger’s work is increasingly dark: disturbing elements in the form of bars obscure and penetrate the faces of his subjects, meant to symbolize the manipulative influence of media and society. Newer works also use a numbering system, as if to treat his subjects like products instead of individuals. In Kroeger’s world, we are setting ourselves up for a gloomy, de-humanized future, where if we aren’t careful, technology will lead to the destruction of our individuality.
Beijing based artist DU Kun incorporates his passion for rock music into his new oil painting series titled "Revels of the Rock Gods". His works, which just debuted at Mizuma Gallery in Tokyo, Japan, are monumental portraits of rock musicians that appear carved out of mountains, cliffs, oceans, stones, trees and waterfalls. His first profession while he was in art school was as a rock musician himself, and has since frequently demonstrated his musical prowess. The artist began working on his "Gods of Rock Festival" series in 2014, creating the works out of his own experience with rock music.
Chinese artist 
Rainbow waterfalls spill from the faces of Brian Donnelly's men and women. The Toronto-based painter describes himself as a portrait painter, yet he distorts and erodes his subjects to sometimes unrecognizable ends. Donnelly's paints from real life, selecting his subjects based on interesting features such as piercing eyes or characteristic facial hair. He then paints them on canvas before using a combination of turpentine and hand sanitizer to make the colors run.