Conceptual artists Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, along with stylist and editor Katie Grand, are behind a new set of otherwordly (but very L.A.) Vanity Fair covers.

A showcase for fashion and entertainment, Vanity Fair's 28th annual Hollywood Issue comes with eight different covers, featuring Nicole Kidman, Andrew Garfield, Idris Elba, Kristen Stewart, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Simu Liu and Penélope Cruz.

The stars are alternately posed bathing with swans, hanging with a tiger, lounging on a Botticelli and soaring around L.A. landmarks.

Some critics, perhaps not fully considering Cattelan's provocative, surrealist oeuvre—ranging from a waxy Pope statue to the gold toilet sculpture titled America to a banana taped to a wall—have been vocal in calling out the covers as "baffling," "rather strange" and even "ageist" in the case of Kidman.

Explains Ferrari in Vanity Fair: “To capture each actor in a single cover image, it was important to re-create the Los Angeles that we know and love; that spirit made them all part of the same moment. And then we could emphasize each character with the irony of the images.”

“I wanted it to be completely different than previous years,” said Cattelan. “After such long isolation, we wanted to celebrate a city that holds such history, energy, and color. Creativity is always driven by the talent, and we are part of a chain that celebrates this incredible industry."