Sam Friedman Happy Place
Happy Place marked Sam Friedman’s inaugural exhibition with Joshua Liner Gallery, presenting large-scale paintings alongside Happy Place, a grid of fifty small works that together form a visual archive of the artist’s memories and experiences. Through freehand, process-driven painting, Friedman combines thick, undulating lines and vibrant color with representational motifs—beaches, lobsters, nudes, and everyday objects—using abstraction to transform personal narratives into universally resonant images of comfort, escape, and reflection.
Sam Friedman (b. 1984, Oneonta, New York) is a New York–based artist whose practice centers on intuitive mark-making, bold color, and the balance between abstraction and representation. He received his BFA from Pratt Institute (2006) and has exhibited nationally, including solo exhibitions at Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY, and group exhibitions such as Summer Mixer at Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY (2016). Drawing from personal history and memory, Friedman distills lived experiences into simplified forms that emphasize emotion, process, and accessibility, inviting viewers to locate their own associations within the work.
Untitled, 2014 Acrylic on canvas 60 x 84 in (152.4 x 213.4 cm)
Happy Place, 2013 Acrylic on canvas 16 x 20 in (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
Untitled, 2014 Acrylic on canvas 48 x 48 in (121.9 x 121.9 cm)
Untitled, 2014 Acrylic on canvas 48 x 48 in (121.9 x 121.9 cm)
Untitled, 2014 Acrylic on canvas 60 x 84 in (152.4 x 213.4 cm)
Untitled, 2014 Acrylic on canvas 60 x 84 in (152.4 x 213.4 cm)