An image circulating online allegedly shows the “Kissing Islands” of Greenland that resemble to heads engaged in a kiss. Is this image real or fake?
It’s Not Real
The image of what appears to be islands that resemble human heads kissing first appeared online in January 2012. It is the work of Italian photographer and digital post-production artist Vincenzo Micarelli. It was originally posted on his website and he listed the client as Pfizer. The original image in Mr. Micarelli’s portfolio includes the Pfizer logo, although it has often been shared online with this logo cropped out.
Micarelli has a few other images of land masses that resemble faces in his online portfolio (examples here and here).
We reached out to Mr. Micarelli for additional information about the image. He graciously responded with the following description:
This image is part of a series of imaginary territories resembling humans, that I have made for an advertising campaign. They are fruit of my invention and post-production, of course.
This is not the first time a digital creation of landmasses have been passed off as real. A photo entitled “Heart Island” also regularly makes the rounds. See our summary of that graphic here.
History
The chart below shows search popularity on this graphic, with its most significant surge appearing in September 2013.
Bottom Line
The alleged “Kissing Islands of Greenland” do not exist. This is the case of a work of art being distributed with a false description. The artist who created the work stated that it was part of a series of works depicting “imaginary territories” meant to resemble humans.
Source: vincenzomicarelli.com
Updated May 14, 2016
Originally published August 2013