Tom Friedman

April 30 – May 24, 2013

Tom Friedman, Portrait

Tom Friedman, Untitled

Tom Friedman, Portrait - Art Now

Tom Friedman, Untitled (sun)

Tom Friedman, Untitled (feet)

Tom Friedman pushes the boundaries of what is art by transforming ordinary materials into meticulously crafted works that are easily accessible to and accessed by a wide audience. He is known for a comical element to his work, which is often the entry point and then upon closer inspection, he draws the viewer into a deeper philosophical discourse about art and even life itself. The “suchness,” as Friedman is known to say, of the everyday materials he uses, exposes something greater than the objects themselves. His artwork can be enjoyed for its simple humor and beauty or taken to these deeper levels.

Friedman (b. 1965, Saint Louis, MO) makes extraordinary work that explores ideas of perception, logic, and possibility. His often painstakingly rendered sculptures and works on paper inhabit the grey areas between the ordinary and the monstrous, the infinitesimal and the infinite, the rational and the uncanny. His work is often deceptive, its handmade intricacy masked by a seemingly mass-produced or prefabricated appearance. Friedman’s deadpan presentation implies that content and form are seamless; expectations are overturned as the viewer slowly perceives that chasm between illusion and reality. Friedman's work has been internationally exhibited in galleries and museums, including solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Fondazione Prada, Milan; Magasin 3 Stockholm Konsthall; the South London Gallery, and numerous other institutions.