Who am i?
Paige Friedman (b. 2001) makes monstrous soft sculptures, rooted in creating figures tO explore fear and cuteness, finding comfort in horror. In 2023, Friedman obtained a BFA in Fine Art at Towson University, in Towson, MD. While attending, Friedman exhibited work in the BFA Thesis Exhibition as well as a small solo exhibition in the Storage Space Gallery titled Morbid. Most recently, Friedman’s soft sculpture figures were exhibited in a solo show titled amalgamated, at the gallery 82 Parris in Portland, ME, in May 2024. Friedman currently lives and works in Portland, ME, and obtained an MFA in Studio Art at the Maine College of Art and Design in 2025.
What I’m doing!
Through creating large-scale soft sculptures, I am exploring how the monstrous stuffed object can toe the line by being confusing, comfortable, and overwhelming. The sculptures are rooted in creating figures to explore fear and find comfort in horror.
ATTEMPTING TO EXPLORE HORROR AND COMFORT HAS LED ME TO SEEKING A VARIETY OF FORMS, WHERE MOST RECENTLY I HAVE LANDED ON USING A COMBINED CLOWN-demon-like FIGURE to emulate A monster. THE GOAL IS TO evoke a more universal emotional CONNECTION THROUGH OUR INDIVIDUAL AND SHARED experiences. To evoke comfort, I USE soft, textured materials SUCH AS fabrics, stuffing, bright colors, fuzzy airbrushing, and giant eyes TO SPEAK TO the aesthetic category of the cute.
The object plays with our life experiences to reflect our emotions. By using a soft and stuffed monster, I find moments where both the viewer and I can feel comforted while being uncomfortable.
