Cocktail Party, 2015

Miami Beach 2019
Cocktail Party

Stephen Friedman Gallery, Luhring Augustine

Mixed Media
Styrofoam, mixed media

Cocktail Party exemplifies Tom Friedman’s unparalleled technical craftsmanship as well as his unusual creative philosophy. Never before exhibited in the United States, it is one of the artist’s most accomplished works to date. Here, Friedman presents an animated group of twenty-six life-size figures – in a wild array of outfits and hairstyles – enjoying a lively party. Described by the artist as a ‘living cartoon’ created as a deadpan mirror of the art world, the sculpture plays on themes of voyeurism while riffing on pop culture, art history, and self-portraiture.

Tom Friedman’s (born 1965 in Saint Louis, Missouri) approach to understanding the world and its logic has long been expressed through the laborious, painstakingly precise and unexpected methods that he uses. His work is often autobiographical, recreating random elements from his own life and surroundings. Friedman lives and works in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Access the Audio Guide by Magalí Arriola.