Kristoff, 29, asking that we do not share his real name, wishes to remain ensconced within the allure of anonymity, which draws no dichotomy in reference to his works. A contemporary surrealist painter, Kristoff conjures scenes in which he elicits an immediate emotional response of nostalgia and longing for a world that perhaps once was, one that could be, and on occasion, scenes that serve as a warning of future dilapidation.

In his painting Untitled (Sunflowers), Kristoff suggests a surrealist atmosphere, and perhaps as a poignant jab at what he views as the tameness of the movement, he utilizes a contemporary approach that evokes a sense of deep-seeded urgency. Under a nuclear-laden sky is a central figure that bears striking resembelance to a viscous elephant’s foot, referencing the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. Its waste appears to bleed - or perhaps leech - into a field of sunflowers, in which all that grow after - those closest to the viewer - no longer have pedals. Have they shed their vivid allure, or are they incapable of producing beauty, due to the leeching of radioactive waste into soil that once sustained unprovoked life? This painting is deeply unsettling, potentially alluding to the future desolation of nuclear technologies.

“Why do I not paint what is? Why? I paint what could be, for better or for worse. We could live in an oasis, a hellscape, or something inbetween. I react to the world around me.”

Kristoff, juggling method with visceral action, creates a stark juxtaposition in his work. A self-taught artist, he is an emerging talent that shows high potential. Based on composition, central figures, subject matter, and symbolism, Kristoff is currently operating in a league that may not be understood for decades to come, though he states “these things should be understood right now.”