Relying on the wide tonal range of the graphite pencil, Peter Gallov covers the page with a metallic smoke floating between black and white. In his experiments presented in the medium of drawing on paper, we can observe the phenomenon of optical sublimation, the way in which the solid matter of graphite is transformed into a kind of illusory vapour in the artist's work. However, Gallov's technique is most reminiscent of the soft transitions of an airbrush. By using a combination of carefully selected papers and printmaking tools, the work becomes a precision activity. In Gallov's recent works, anthropomorphic pizza slices, shaped like cartoon characters, blink flatly or survey their virtual surroundings with wide-open eyes. They interact with the viewer from the distance of the medium, in the same way animated figures sometimes address the onlooker on the other side of the TV, breaking the fourth wall. More recently, the artist has reinforced the contrast between the childlike openness of his choice of subjects and the determination of his technical execution. In his exhibited work, Gallov brings an extra depth to his volcanic private mythology. His works that range from drawings to enigmatic ceramic pieces all reflect on the circular path of the individual, the ever-returning pursuit to find balance.

Tayler Patrick