PH1 Studios creates encaustic photographic works that explore memory, place, and human trace within the urban landscape. Through a hybrid process that fuses contemporary photography with the ancient practice of encaustic painting, ephemeral gestures — handwritten text, worn surfaces, and anonymous marks — are preserved and transformed. The material interplay of wax, image, and texture enacts narratives of memory, absence, and belonging, where nostalgia emerges through acts of preservation and material transformation.
Based in Toronto, PH1 Studios is the collaborative practice of artists Melissa Espina and Pietro Gallo. Merging encaustic painting, photography, and material experimentation, their work is rooted in memory, place, and sensory experience. Espina, a graduate of OCAD University, brings a foundation in fine art, encaustic technique, and tactile mark-making. Gallo, a photographer and editor with over 25 years of experience in post-production and visual effects, contributes a narrative-driven visual language shaped by image construction and storytelling.
Committed to community engagement, Espina and Gallo lead workshops, participatory installations, and public programming that extend their practice into shared creative spaces, fostering broader access to the arts through initiatives supported by the Toronto Arts Council.