Since authorial irony can only be understood by comparing what is said (the work), and what is meant (author intent), it is a common subject for Intentist artists.

A well-known example of ironic work is Intentist artist Luciano Pelosi’s work, ‘Big Breakfast.’

This alphabet spaghetti clearly spell the statement ‘These letters are not random.’ However, to be able the sentence clearly means that the letters are far from randomized.

This photograph shares similar properties to Rene Magritte’s ‘The Treachery of Images’ (also known as ‘This is not a Pipe.’)

This work has been discussed at length by various writers including Michel Foucault. One of the central differences between the two works is that

although there appears to be a binary contrast in Magritte’s work, in another sense work is not a working pipe but rather a painting (interpretation) of one. On the other hand. Luciano Pelosi’s work, by insisting on your ability to read the letters to understand the statement, forces you into a corner.

Another example of the use of irony in Intentist art is ‘These are not Linked’ by Vittorio Pelosi. Vittorio uses the concept of a traditional photo booth where a sitter has four attempts in quick succession to get an image usable for personal ID. The viewer is aware that these images are typically different and in sequence. This notion is visually confirmed in that the necklace changes in each image. However, on closer inspection of the necklace, the letters read from first image to last ‘These ‘Are’ ‘Not’ ‘Linked.’