Johnny DeFeo  
Escapism

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 21st - March 29th, 2025

KDR is pleased to announce “Escapism,” a solo exhibition by painter Johnny Defeo, his second with the gallery. The opening reception is on February 21st, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m, and the exhibition will be on view through March 29th, 2025.

Things one might wish to escape: a hungry polar bear, relentless follow-up calls from eager creditors, a frigid morning, an unbearably hot afternoon, the mess your adult roommate left in the kitchen, the heavy burden of debt, modern distractions, the fool your friend is dating, overwhelming despair, a seemingly perfect life, or a screaming child.

And yet, there are places and ideas one might yearn to escape to: a pristine landscape, untouched by human destruction; a cozy home filled with beautiful objects, offering solace from the chaos beyond; the dawn breaking as a gathering of bald eagles soars overhead; an undiscovered paradise, a fern-lined canyon that remains unclaimed, untarnished, and unspoiled by time.

In Escapism, DeFeo unveils a vision of his retreats, where contemplation lingers and imagination weaves each scene. Wrapped in a tapestry of whimsy and wonder, his work blends humor with both wild and crafted beauty, inviting viewers to drift between realms. His paintings unfold like dreamscapes, where landscapes emerge within domestic frames, blurring the line between the familiar and the surreal. Marking both an invitation and a meditation on the act of escape—encourages viewers to shift their gaze, wander through imagined terrains, and experience nature’s wonders through the eyes of its creatures. Each painting becomes a portal, beckoning one to pause, peer through these “windows,” and lose themselves in the magic of the in-between.

Johnny DeFeo (b. 1985)  received an MFA in painting from the University of Colorado in 2017. His works have been included in recent exhibitions at Mair Museum of Art at Randolph College, Half Gallery, Meyer Reigger Berlin, Germany, Cris Worly, Dallas, TX; 1969 Gallery, New York, NY; The Valley, Taos, NM; Visions West Contemporary Denver, Bozeman, Jackson, MT., Van Rensburg Gallery, Milton, AUS; and The University of Denver Museum of Art. He lives and works in Taos, New Mexico.

For images and information regarding works in the exhibition, please contact katia@kdr305.com or lauren@kdr305.com.

Image: Johnny DeFeo, “Mountain Boudoir, Set Aglow by the Late Autumn Sun on the Aspens”, Acrylic on panel,  30 x 24 in.