In his upcoming solo exhibition at Escat Gallery, Chicago-based artist Eric Stefanski isn’t trying to impress. He’s not here to convince you. He’s not even sure he understands it all himself. “This is What I’m Working With” is part confession, part visual breakdown, part nervous laughter in front of a mirror. It’s the result of months spent in his Chicago studio pushing paint, words, and emotions around until they somehow landed on the canvas.

Eric Stefanski (Chicago, 1987) Educated at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and holding an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Stefanski has emerged as one of the most candid and singular voices in American contemporary painting. His work blends expressive abstraction, existential humor, and handwritten text in ways that feel more like overheard thoughts than carefully composed messages. He paints from a place of vulnerability — with gestures that are often clumsy, raw, or absurd — and builds visual narratives out of failure, anxiety, resilience, and deeply personal honesty. “This is What I’m Working With” features a new body of large-scale paintings and intimate works on paper. In this latest chapter, Stefanski’s visual language continues to evolve: his palette is bolder, his compositions more broken and immediate, his brushstrokes more physical and performative. The works feel like fragments of internal dialogue made public. They don’t offer resolution. They don’t claim to have answers. Instead, they hold space — for uncertainty, humor, exhaustion, and the weird poetry of everyday thought. 📍 Escat Gallery – Carrer Trafalgar, Barcelona 📅 Opening: Wednesday, May 7th, 2025 🕖 From 7:00 PM 📩 For preview and pricing inquiries: [email protected]