Al Freeman Jr. in New York, NY

After being absolutely smitten with the Laurie Simmons show at 56 HENRY, I asked the two people working in the back room if I could take a peak at what was on the wall. It is always good to check out art in the back room of a gallery.

Soft Princess Necklace, 2022
Vinyl and polyfil

Lap Chair, 2020
Foam, printed blanket

I liked these fun pieces by Al Freeman Jr., especially the wall piece. I have one large empty wall of real estate that I’ve been searching for the perfect art piece for. My kids would probably think I’d lost my mind, but this would look super cool.

I had seen Freeman’s work listed as I was doing my art show research, and didn’t have it on my radar. Photos never do justice to 3D work, and while I see a lot, I cannot see everything. After liking the two pieces at 56 HENRY, I went to the other gallery location a few blocks north to see the rest. The two below were my favorite of the four from the show called Floors.

Alka-Seltzer on Blonde Wood Floor, 2022
Vinyl and foam
Detail
Detail

“Each sculpture is a well-felt tableaux; Freeman is a noticer, picking up ideas while walking her dog. Her requirements for enlargement are that each object needs to be a lasting brand recognizable from color and graphic forms, and that the foreground and background function with each other. Working with vinyl gives each sculpture an unquantifiable weight, and it also signals permanence – like an infinite do-not-disturb -sign.” (Dan Nadel/56 HENRY)

I’ll be keeping my eye on Al Freeman Jr., and her soft sculptures.

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