Over 20 years of artistic practice Petro has transitioned from classic graffiti and font compositions to pure geometric abstraction. In his new project the artist goes further and demolishes his habitual, strict architectural composition. Petro’s main task here was to simultaneously capture both the process of creation and the law of entropy: to avoid obvious compositional completeness, to emphasise collage and fragmentation.

The starting point for work on this project – the first ‘white canvas’ and central motif of the exhibition – was the calendar. Before any major undertaking Petro prints out the months needed to plan his project. “But due to a technical error the months were layered on top of one another, in the same way our consciousness confuses everything, without caring about the structure. The calendar is the instrument by which we essentially unravel our lives. It is the personification of emptiness, and at the same time the easiest way to overcome it.” Another recurring motif is the ‘digital void’, referred to in Photoshop as a transparent pattern or transparent background, which as a rule conveys the sense of a new, terrifying digital infinity. Neither is the choice of colour accidental: red is a goal or marker on the calendar, while neutral grey and brutal black simultaneously refer to systematic thinking and the iconic colours of the Russian avant-garde, to which Petro’s visual language is so closely related.

Of course the Entropy System represents an oxymoron, but this is intentional. In Petro’s new project the paradox is presented not as an attempt to defeat entropy, but as the search for a method of co-working. Vast and impeccably structured canvases capture the viewer’s attention – as we look at them, it’s hard to believe that the world is ruled by an irresistible impulse towards chaos.

Music: Frank Bretschneider (Berlin, Germany), album Isolation

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Petro was born in 1984 in the town of Zhukovsky (near Moscow). He is one of the famous representatives of the "street wave" artists who has been painting on walls for over 20 years. The artist is the founder and a member of the Aesthetics Group duo (with Ilya Slak). Today, Petro is at the forefront of Russian street art, his current eclectic style is built on a combination of various concepts including the applied art and the architecture. Moving away from graffiti fonts compositions, Petro concentrated on geometric abstraction. The artist takes part in major festivals, exhibitions, projects in Russia and abroad. He is a participant of the residences: "Graffiti analysis" 2010 (Perm) / "Week-End RAW Circles" 2013 (Paris) / "Dukley European Art Community" 2015 (Montenegro) / "Uppa Winery" 2019 and 2021 (Sevastopol) / "Art Station" 2021 (Ivanovo). In 2010 he organized a screening of graffiti films in Moscow and St. Petersburg: “Flashback” (RUS), “Aevus” (RUS), “Endstation” (UKR). In 2012–2014 he founded and organized the Sign Your Style Graffiti Festival. In 2013 he was awarded the MOST Awards street art festival in the nomination “Street Contribution. Artist of the Year. In 2013 he was the curator of the street festival "33 Edges of Perception". In 2014, the exhibition "Dualism", a joint project of Petro and Ilya Slak, took place in Moscow. In the autumn of the same year he became the co-curator of the Russian part of the 1st Artmossphere Street Art Biennale. In 2016 he was the coordinator of the Russian part, the II Artmossphere Street Art Biennale. In September 2021, the Ruarts Foundation presented his solo exhibition "Form". In 2022, Petro created a mural in the arch of the MMOMA Educational Center in Ermolaevsky Lane as part of a joint project between the Ruarts Foundation and MMOMA. The mural was paired with a free AR app that allows people visiting the mural in-person to explore the art differently (Technical Artist – Maxim Knyazev). In his work, Petro strives for constant development and self-realization, in addition to murals, the artist creates works on canvas, three-dimensional installations and sculpture.

Nowadays Petro relies on architecture as a source of inspiration: his works have become meticulously devised compositions with an abundance of pure colours and lines, to some extent reminiscent of architectural drawings and constructivist designs. Petro’s creative method is based on working with context, including the architectural constituent. Any work by Petro in urban space, be it a mural or sculpture, enters into dialogue with the environment, apparently originating from its surroundings. But as a multidisciplinary artist Petro is not limited to one medium, and his work is developing in the direction of studio creativity and digital projects.