City Hats: Dreamlike Portraits by Alex Mihaltchuk

Lisbon-based artist Alex Mihaltchuk transforms architecture into wearable landscapes through his ongoing City Hat series, a collection of surreal portraits crowned with towers, churches and densely packed urban scenes.

His paintings feature elongated figures wearing oversized hats shaped like miniature cities. Rendered in pale blues, creams and soft greys, these architectural forms contrast with the warmer faces, patterned clothing and vivid accents surrounding them. Birds, flowers, fruit and other symbolic details appear throughout the series, giving the portraits an ethereal quality that hovers between Renaissance painting, fashion illustration and contemporary surrealism.

Born in Minsk in 1955, Alex graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of Arts in 1979 and began his career in graphic design and editorial illustration. After moving to Portugal in 1986, he continued working across design and illustration while gradually focusing more heavily on painting and exhibiting his work internationally.

For more of Alex Mihaltchuk’s work, visit his portfolio and follow him on Instagram.

More art on the grid via Behance