Steeped in French cultural references, from the romanticized depiction of historical events by Eugène Delacroix and Théodore Géricault, to the gaudy nightlife depictions of Toulouse-Lautrec’s post-impressionist paintings and the scientific fantasies of Jules Verne, the pictures of Mundi Opera are also inspired by the artist's personal interests in -among other things- American comics, Mozart, Tom Waits and Fellini. Aesthetically, Le Turk’s imagery channels the work of several iconic, contemporary photographers, such as the surrealism and art-history references of David LaChapelle, the elaborate staging and dark undertones of Gregory Crewdson, and the hyper-stylized aesthetic of Pierre et Gilles. And yet his most influential sources seem to be cinematic—and distinctly French for that matter—such as pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès, whose illusionist-based special effects combined the drôle with the fantastical, and film director and screenwriter Jean-Pierre Jeunet, whose filmography, in collaboration with Marc Caro, encompasses dystopian fantasies like Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children where Le Turk’s characters would feel right at home.