Ada Friedman
b. Washington, D.C., USA, 1984Lives and works in the Texas Hill Country & Brooklyn, NY, USA
Ada Friedman’s art is rooted in paint, routine, and ritual. Her paintings exist in different fields of action and poetry; of varying spaces of concreteness, collaboration, and interiority. Works are typically double-sided, each side a painting unto itself and part of a multifaceted whole. Moved by the artist’s holistic drive to make worlds, her approach to the medium transforms paper - her prima materia - and discreet collections of random materials idiosyncratic accord for adventurous, graceful paintings.
Her first solo exhibition with the gallery was in October 2022, inaugurating our then-new space. She and her work have been featured in BOMB magazine, Brooklyn Rail, Family Time, ARTnews, Hyperallergic, Painter’s Bread, BMore Art, and more. She has had recent solo exhibitions at exhibitions at Kendra Jayne Patrick (Bern, Switzerland) and David Peter Francis (New York City, NY); and has been included in group exhibitions at Cleopatra’s (Brooklyn, NY); Safe Gallery (Brooklyn, NY); Ortega y Gasset (Brooklyn, NY); Grifter (New York City, NY); Night Gallery (Los Angeles, CA), among others.
Her second solo exhibition with the gallery is in September 2025, and she is also one half of a duo presentation at Independent 2025, taking place 8-11. May. 2025.
She has participated in institutional exhibitions at Kunsthalle Zürich (Zürich, Switzerland); University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA); and Socrates Sculpture Park (Queens, NY).
CURRICULUM VITAE. SELECT PRESS.
Performance Proposal, Pathwork: Wall, 2022-2023
Oil, Acrylic, Glassine, Water-Soluble Wax Pastel, Colored Pencil, Watercolor, Paper, Canvas, Linen, Collected Fabrics and Papers, Mylar, G, Graphite, Pastel, Foil, Gauche, Acrylic Mediums and PVA Size, Gudy, and Bookbinding Tape
181 x 68 x 1.5 in.
459.74 x 172.72 x 3.81 cm.
Installation View: Art Basel Miami Beach 2023
paper, acrylic, oil, wax pastel, colored pencil, upholstery fabric, Roz's onightgown, thrift store summer dress, green brick curtain, PVA size, acrylic medium, canvas, graphite, Filmoplast T tape, and grommets
83½ x 77½ in.
212.00 x 197.00 cm.
Performance Proposal Pathwork: Threshold, 2022 [side b]
paper, acrylic, oil, wax pastel, colored pencil, upholstery fabric, Roz's onightgown, thrift store summer dress, green brick curtain, PVA size, acrylic medium, canvas, graphite, Filmoplast T tape, and grommets
83½ x 77½ in.
212.00 x 197.00 cm.
oil, Acrylic, Ink, Papers, Water Soluble Pastels, Mediums, House Paint, Linen, Grommets, and Canvas
65 x 45 in.
165.10 x 114.30 cm
oil, acrylic, ink, papers, pastels, mediums, house paint, linen, grommets, and canvas
65 x 45 in.
165.10 x 114.30 cm
Performance Proposal, Keychain Trilogy: She Can Move Soft Things with Her Mind: Flight Path, 2016
Canvas, Cotton Jacket, Mylar, Wax, Oil, and Acrylic
37¾ x 47¼ x ⅛ in.
96.00 x 120.00 x 0.30 cm
Performance Proposal: Helen Rides 6: Pyramid 4, 2020-2022
paper, acrylic, gouache, pastel, an old favorite sweater, denim, acrylic medium, house paint, pencil, PVA size, paper, reflective paper, tin foil, marker, pen, Filmoplast T tape, and grommets
83½ x 41 in.
212.00 x 104.00 cm.
Installation View: Paintings in Pisces, solo exhibition, Kendra Jayne Patrick, Bern, 2022
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paper, acrylic, gouache, pastel, lighting gel, tulle, wax pastel, pencil, colored pencil, pen, thrift store fabric, dress shirt, house paint, ribbon, acrylic medium, PVA size, Filmoplast T tape, and grommets
86¼ x 47¼ in.
Installation View: Paintings in Pisces, solo exhibition, Kendra Jayne Patrick, Bern, 2022
paper, acrylic, gouache, pastel, lighting gel, tulle, wax pastel, pencil, colored pencil, pen, thrift store fabric, dress shirt, house paint, ribbon, acrylic medium, PVA size, Filmoplast T tape, and grommets
86¼ x 47¼ in.