Kunstmuseum Solothurn is hosting the first solo presentation of the works of Gilgian Gelzer (born 1951) in a Swiss museum, showing a selection of drawings and photographs from the last ten years. The chosen title "Pencilmania" is derived from the seemingly obsessive approach he takes to drawing. The phonetic similarity to the name of the American state Pennsylvania is also apt, as with their linear networks, some of his huge drawings conjure up the streets, rivers and contour lines represented in maps. However, the artist is not interested in portraying anything specific. His dense drawings are rather more reminiscent of absent-minded doodles carried out alongside telephone conversations. Chance also plays a major role in the photographic finds he happens upon during his forays. Yet while finding a subject worthy of a photograph may be in part down to luck, his framing in the viewfinder is extremely precise. With their sophisticated compositions, the photographs reveal a sense for form and line that seems almost classical and creates an unexpected proximity to drawing. The catalogue will come out to coincide with the exhibition.