Keya Tama is a South African artist who says he aims to “reunite old and new through contrasting yet unified iconography.” Tama’s talent for crafting interlocking creatures, either in the backgrounds of his paintings or in the form of murals, also recalls the work of M.C. Escher. Recently, the Los Angeles-based artist has also been collaborating with others in his pieces, such as the work with Caratoes below.
On his site, Tama often shares insight into the creation of the piece. The top work “was inspired by resistance and the necessity of embodying the shadow self.” While the one below “was inspired by the concept of adjustment versus expectation. It focuses on refining two competing compartmentalized sides of our interpersonal relationships with identity.”
See more from Tama below.
Those who follow in the footsteps of the Old Masters would gasp at 
Shiqing "Demo" Deng is known for both riveting and haunting paintings, in which surreal surprises hide in the contours of her figures. She recently showed this work at Parasol Projects @ 213 Bowery in a show titled "All My Friends Are Monsters." The gallery says she often uses "fellow artists as the primary players" in her work, further facilitating a look at varying realities.