"A Friend of a Friend": Unexpected Conversations Unfold in the Frame Gallery - School of Art

On view November 7–9, the Frame Gallery’s season opener brought student works into dialogue through surprising pairings.

By Amelia De Leon

In The Frame Gallery’s inaugural 2025/26 show, “A Friend of a Friend,” artists traced the threads between “what we know and what we are just beginning to learn,” in the words of the exhibition text. While the exhibition emphasized the diverse practices and materials brought together at the start of a new academic year, deeper exploration reveals something far more intentional than a chance assembly. Here was a conversation unfolding between artworks, creating a sense of synergy and shared cultural critique among art students.

_{Mo Nash, kernels of goodness; Santiago Salazar, Three Small Sketches (a clock, a pattern, and a mirror).}

Senior Mo Nash’s sponge sculpture bearing an oversized pistachio shell, “kernels of goodness,” found a tactile partner in senior Santiago Salazar’s console television and headset, “Three Small Sketches (a clock, a pattern, and a mirror).” Both works transcended the typical “look but don’t touch” rule, offering a shared space where the visitor’s interaction became an essential part of the work.

_{Scott Liu, asshole; Nora Sweeney-Gladen, asshole}

Another pointed exchange appeared between two works sharing an unusually specific title. Senior Scott Liu’s painting, “asshole,” depicted a man with a distinctly asshole-ish demeanor. Across the room, junior Nora Sweeney-Gladen’s sculpture, also titled “asshole,” presented a low-to-the-ground school chair modified with a plug designed to “shame men” who habitually sit backward on chairs — a commentary on the misogynistic fear of association with queer identity. The works, though distinct in medium, join forces as a reflection on toxic masculinity. Liu offers the portrait, and Sweeney-Gladen the uncomfortable intervention, creating a critical feedback loop that is impossible to ignore.

Sophomore Sofia Saab’s lino cut print, “sir loin,” is part of a series inspired by online halal meme culture, here whimsically depicting a saint-like figure knighting a cow. This piece, with its sharp play on words of “holy meat,” highlights the artist’s penchant for layered, witty critique and their ability to blend high art concepts with contemporary digital culture. This Frame show demonstrates that the students’ greatest strength isn’t just their individual talent, but their ability to cultivate a shared space for complex and challenging conversation. The artworks do what friends do: they talk together.

Amelia De Leon is a sophomore pursuing a BFA in the School of Art. Follow her at @ameliadeleonn.