Alison Friend - Love Bite

 NEW YORK CITY— Harman Projects is pleased to announce Love Bite, a solo exhibition by UK-based artist Alison Friend. Known for her irresistible anthropomorphic animal portraits, Friend blends classical techniques with a distinctly mischievous imagination. Drawing stylistic inspiration from the Old European Masters, Friend’s oil paintings capture the secret lives of animals when we’re not looking. 

At once humorous and heartfelt, Friend’s work invites viewers into a world where animals embody the quirks, tenderness and contradictions  of being human. These paintings, part fable, part reflection, are rendered with Friend’s signature blend of humor and emotional depth, and offer a witty meditation on companionship, curiosity, and the delightful absurdity of everyday life. 

“This exhibition began with the idea of a Book Club — animals pictured in the quiet company of books. A charming notion, but soon far too narrow. The creatures in my head are not inclined to sit politely within one theme. They wander, they loiter, they turn up in unlikely places, carrying with them the wit, tenderness, and character I find irresistible to paint.

Love Bite grew from that expansion. What began with animals and books opened out into something broader, more unruly, more alive. Here you’ll find a bit of everything: dogs and bunnies, bears and pigeons, creatures with secrets, quirks, and their own undeniable personalities. Some are intimate, others bold — all of them bite-sized glimpses of stories we recognize in ourselves.

The “bite” in Love Bite speaks of the moment — small, fleeting instances laced with the irreverence I enjoy painting. But it also suggests something with more edge: love that is tender or playful, but also surprising, unruly, and occasionally a little wild.

Together, these works form a tasting plate of my painted world — moments that draw you in, raise a smile, and perhaps leave you hungry for another bite.” - Alison Friend 

Love Bite opens on Saturday, November 8th with a book signing of the artist’s debut monograph, Dog Only Knows: The Dog Portraits of Alison Friend, from 5pm - 6pm, followed by an opening reception from 6pm - 8pm. For additional information, images, and feature interview content, email us at info@harmanprojects.com.