Charley Friedman explores the ways that images and objects take on value—from sacred to consumable—while questioning how symbols become meaningful and how society collectively agrees on their assigned worth. Through sculpture, performance, photography, drawing, and video, he examines how individuals internalize and filter the world through magical thinking, institutionalized religion, and consumer culture (including their rituals, values, and sacred items), all of which reinforce an ego-centric worldview. His work is psychological and pungent, with a deep interest in eliciting emotion from the viewer.

Friedman uses humor as a material. Humor has no mass or volume, yet is infinitely malleable. It magnifies vulnerabilities and prejudices, revealing the humanity in others. It also allows ideas to take root in the body—originating from the gut and inherently emotional. At the heart of his practice is an exploration of the absurd, tragic, and contradictory nature of living—something humor is uniquely capable of portraying.

These interests are deeply informed by his Jewish identity. Raised among rituals, symbols, and the use of humor to understand the world, Friedman sees humor as both a weapon and a defense mechanism—a tool that has long been used verbally and aesthetically, from the lowly to the holy, to navigate the absurdities of life. This sensibility is deeply rooted in Jewish history.

Methodologically, his work is grounded in the Talmud, engaging with the full spectrum of lived experience—whether addressing large cultural issues or small personal ones—with equal care. His process is non-linear, often revisiting themes and earlier works when a new angle presents itself. While this may not be unique to his experience alone, it is the only one he knows intimately.

BIO

Charley Friedman is a Pollock-Krasner recipient Smack Mellon Hot Picks artist and two-time Rema Hort nominee. Selected exhibitions include Crystal Bridges Museum of American, PS1/MoMA, Everson Museum of Art, The Fabric Workshop, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, Sheldon Museum of Art, Queens Museum, OMI International Art Center, Joslyn Museum of Art, Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery at Stony Brook University, Museum of Nebraska Art and Nina Johnson. He received his MFA from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Residencies include Skowhegan School, MacDowell Colony, Bemis Center and Fountainhead. Selected press includes New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Miami Herald, White Hot Magazine, Hyperallergic, Village Voice. Collections include: Walker Art Center, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Sheldon Museum of Art, Stanford University, OMI International Art Center, Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York Public Library-Prints & Drawing Collection, Amherst College, Macalester College, Goldman Collection.