ABOUT

Chris Freeman

1961 Born in Riverhead, NY

2013 Topaz Arts, “Under The Influence”, Group Show, LIC, NY

2013 Fountain Art Fair, Topaz Arts, New York, NY

2015 Topaz Arts, One man show, LIC, NY

2015 Dorsky Gallery, “An Aesthetic of Slowness” Group Show, LIC, NY

2015 Carrie Haddad Gallery, “Landscapes” Group Show, Hudson, NY

2016 Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, “Campsite” Group Show. New Paltz, NY.

2017 Jeff Bailey Gallery, "Life's Rich Pageant", Hudson, NY

2017 Club Helsinki, Chris Freeman "Short Stories", Hudson, NY

2017 WGXC 90.7, The Art of the Hudson Valley; "Our Stories",

Chris Freeman/Taylor Larsen, Hudson, NY

2017 Labspace, "A Very Large Show...." Group Show, Hillsdale, NY

Freeman received his BA in Studio Art from SUNY Purchase in 1983.

Chris was a pioneer skateboarder in the early 80’s and is featured in the cult films “Flowing Free” and “Sunwaves”. He joined up with Shut Skateboards, the most important skateboard movement to happen on the East Coast.

A talented builder, Chris moved to NYC in the late 80’s and began fabricating work for the artists Claus Oldenburg, Vito Acconci, Robert Longo, Nam June Paik, Robert Morris, James Casebere, and Eric Staller, eventually finding full time employment in Richard Artschwager’s studio, fabricating and installing Artshwager’s work around the world.

Throughout this period Freeman made art.

Chris created “Slow Moving Vehicle” a practical sculpture / performance art project in NYC. Actually housing homeless persons whom he would meet in advance, he set 15 identical houses near bridges, along highways, and in abandoned lots – visible signals dedicated to the vulnerable habitants of the city – each with HOME painted on the roof.

A driving force in the underground art scene of Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the early 90’s, Chris created performance art and installations at Keep Refrigerated and Lalalandia Entertainment Research Corp. He participated in shows at ABC no Rio, The Gas Station, The Drawing Center, The New Museum, The Michael Klein Gallery, and had his first one man show in 1992 at Private/Public, NYC. He continued his performance work at The Ritz, Limelight, Keep Refrigerated, and The Knitting Factory.

Taking a break from the art world in 1996 Freeman worked with Delphi Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He assisted in developing their music video production studios; including art directing videos, and marketing towards the studio’s eventual evolution into Steiner Studios, one of the largest film production studios on the East Coast.

In 1999 Chris moved to Seattle and became immersed in racecar culture, both racing and shooting his documentary “Trust”, dedicated to a group of young racecar drivers in the area.

Freeman has lived in Hudson, NY since 2005 and resumed painting full time in 2010. He continues to drag race at Lebanon Valley Speedway.

STATEMENT

I take a minimalist and personal approach to materials, using house paint, small brushes, and queen-size bed sheets. I build my stretchers from stock wood bought at the local hardware store. The bed sheets represent a material embodiment of my intimate life - the space of relationships and dreams, followed by a daily cycle of waking, navigating the exterior world, working, thinking, and painting. I return to bed / start over again.

My walks through the woods became a place of quiet contemplation. I found a timeless space in which I began to grasp what my experiences, memories, and trials of life were and continue to be about. They provide moments for greater connection and inspiration. The landscapes encountered reveal specific imagery that in combination with my spiritual growth and accompanying thought process informs the direction of each painting in my current work.

Chris Freeman 2016