Untitled
2013
183 x 122 centimeters
In “The Stretcher Series” ESTEP traced the wooden support behind a series of four canvases with a mixture of black
paint and Lidocaine gel - an anesthetic that causes numbness. The paintings were laying flat on a table and still wet to
the touch when ESTEP proceeded to hang them on the wall. He intentionally touched the painted area in the process
of hanging the works, temporarily losing sensation in his hands and leaving a mark, with each piece in the series
becoming progressively messier. ESTEP uses the numbing anesthetic as a way to create an exaggerated timeline,
which disconnects his sense of touch, and amplifies the need to finish his set of tasks. which disconnects his sense of
touch, and amplifies the need to finish his set of tasks.
