Eric Arnal (b. Barcelona, 2001) is an artist based in London, UK. In his lens-based practice, he constructs images that explore uncomfortable intimacies and complex states at the edges between affection and aggression, seduction and manipulation, vulnerability and menace. Hinting at enigmatic narratives which resist direct interpretation, Arnal orchestrates uncategorizable scenes drawing on queer theory, psychoanalysis and art-historical references to navigate emotionally ambiguous spaces haunted by desire, identity, power and control.
He graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins in 2024, where he was honoured with the Lynn Hewett Award for photography, and is currently participating in Conditions Studio Programme. His work as been previously presented in exhibitions and screenings at Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK (2025); Marres, Maastricht, Netherlands (2024); The National Gallery, London, UK (2022) and LUX, London, UK (2020) among others.
CV
EDUCATION
2020 – 2024 BA (Hons) Fine Art, 1st Class Honours, Central Saint Martins, London, UK
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2025 Basement, Conditions, Croydon, UK
*NEW* Cosy 1 bed home | Shoreditch | Long stays, Project Space, London, UK
2024 3rd Limburg Biënnale, Marres, Maastricht, Netherlands,
Thirst Trap, Central Saint Martins Graduate Showcase, London, UK
Fetish, Zone Magazine, Vercelli, Italy
2022 Touched, The National Gallery, London, UK,
2021 Being Amongst, Within and Without, Safehouse 2, London, UK
2020 Green Space, LUX, London, UK (online)
SELECTED CURATORIAL PROJECTS
2025 *NEW* Cosy 1 bed home | Shoreditch | Long stays, Project Space, London, UK
2021 Being Amongst, Within and Without, Safehouse 2, London, UK
2020 Green Space, LUX, London, UK (online)
SELECTED SCREENINGS AND TALKS
2025 Conditions Studio Programme: Film and Video 2025, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK
2020 Green Space, Panel Discussion, LUX, London, UK (online)
2019 Is Barcelona a Contemporary Art Capital?, Lecture, Elisava University, Barcelona, Spain
AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES
2024 - 2026 Conditions Studio Programme, Croydon, UK
2024 Lynn Hewett Photography Award
SELECTED PRESS
2025 The community at the heart of London’s vibrant emerging art and gallery scene, Peter Davies, Contemporary Art Socciety
*NEW* Cosy 1 bed home | Shoreditch | Long stays, review by Fin Cousins, The Toe Rag
En suite Art? London Exhibition opens in an Airbnb, The Art Newspaper
*NEW* Cosy 1 bed home | Shoreditch | Long stays at Project Space, emérgent magazine
2024 The Art Market Column - December 12th, Melanie Girlis, Financial Times