Pejac Transforms Basic Graph Paper into Detailed, Trompe-L’œil Tableaux

Graph paper is commonly used for plotting, well, graphs, plus other spatial and mathematical visualizations. But for Pejac, its potential goes way beyond a two-dimensional gridded surface. The artist, who is known for his trompe-l’œil paintings and playful street art interventions, often turns to the precise geometry of gridded sketchbooks in order to challenge perception and think instead about depth and movement.

From a group of kids tossing snowballs—wait, they’re cubes from the grid itself—to a construction worker carving out a silhouette of the famous Sistine Chapel motif of God and Adam’s hands touching, Pejac challenges our sense of space and the possibilities of the “blank slate.” Find more on Instagram.

A graphite drawing on graph paper of a young person making a snow angel — Detail of “Mind Trip” (2022)

A graphite drawing on graph paper of young people throwing snowballs that look like the squares of the grid — Detail of “The Architect” (2020)

A graphite drawing on graph paper of a person constructing something with the squares of the grid — Detail of “The Architect” (2020)

A graphite drawing on graph paper of a shark swimming across the surface — “Emerge” (2020)

A detail of a graphite drawing on graph paper of a shark swimming across the surface — Detail of “Emerge”

A graphite drawing on graph paper of a tree in a frame — “Fossil” (2018)

A graphite drawing on graph paper of a person digging into the surface as if moving around the squares of the grid like dirt — “Hidden Gold” (2023)

A detail of a graphite drawing on graph paper of a person digging into the surface as if moving around the squares of the grid like dirt — Detail of “Hidden Gold”

A detail of a graphite drawing on graph paper of a person using a jackhammer to break open the surface to reveal the outline of the hands of God and Adam touching from the Sistine Chapel — Detail of “Art in Veins”

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