About the exhibition:
What do you visualize when you imagine an artist making their work? The cliché we often see in media is an artist working alone in their studio, struggling over an easel. But art is rarely made in isolation. Collaboration is a defining characteristic of the Philadelphia cultural ecosystem, and one that's especially defined within the Printmaking community. Printmaking, by nature, invites shared space, shared tools, and shared knowledge. Friend of a Friend of a Friend explores the friendship between Ben Kraemer and Claire Cooke, est. 2017 at Tyler School of Art, and how their connection, through their joint practice at Pet Riso Studio and beyond, reflects a broader culture of interdependence. Here, friendship isn't just a social bond, it's a defining characteristic of creating form.
Friend of a Friend of a Friend will be on view in Gallery 2 from July 31 - August 25, 2025 with an opening reception on Saturday, August 2nd from 4-7 pm.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Ben Kraemer is an artist and printmaker living and working in Philadelphia. His artistic practice has largely focused on the creation of artists’ books, zines, and other printed matter. His body of work investigates the role of memory in the formation of identity and has drawn inspiration and context from his multi-racial background. This has culminated in drawings, prints and books containing family photographs, imagery from film and television, and appropriated cultural icons.
He holds a BFA in Printmaking from the Tyler School of Art and since 2022 has been running the collaborative printshop Pet Riso Studio with Claire Cooke.
Claire Cooke works primarily through photographic printmaking processes, with her most recent focus being risography. With degrees in both Printmaking and Art History, Claire references the historical aspect of printmaking, i.e. mass-production, merchandising, and commercial engagement, and turns it around on itself by creating absurd, humorous, and satirical printed matter. Claire sources her imagery from content posted on social media platforms, stock photos, and even photos living in her own camera roll, and gives them a life outside of the digital landscape. This gives us a chance to appreciate the technicality of the mediums she works in and her ability to create visually-interesting pieces, while also enjoying the absurdity of the pieces themselves. It allows us to contemplate the consumption of mass-media without feeling overwhelmed by it all, instead giving us a silly reminder that we can take something seen as superficial and make it something to behold!
ABOUT THE CURATOR:
Samantha M Connors is an artist, cultural worker, and community organizer in Philadelphia. Rooted both in personal meditation and collective resilience, Samantha’s practice focuses on the cyclical disposability of people and objects in the United States, particularly within the housing market, and the power of reconstruction as a political act. Their work lives both in the studio and in collaborative spaces – flowing between research, documentation, creating sculptural drawings, and in partnership with other people committed to liberation. In 2014, they graduated from Tyler School of Art and have completed 5 artist residencies in the Northeast US and France. Since 2021, Samantha has served as the Executive Director of Da Vinci Art Alliance, an intergenerational artist collaborative in Philadelphia.
