Tom Friedman: Cocktail Party

An exhibition titled after Tom Friedman’s 2015 installation Cocktail Party can be found on view at Jeffrey Deitch at 7000 Santa Monica Boulevard from February 14—April 8. The titular installation (described by the artist as a “3D cartoon”) takes the form of 20 human mannequins interacting at the center of the gallery space, shaking hands, talking, exchanging hugs, and other actions one might find in the suggested social scenario. Also featured are works that follow the artist’s problem-solving creative practice, where new processes and answers are born out of each work—including the 8-feet-tall figurative Kid, from 2023, and a ghostly video installation depicting a vintage video game titled Pong (2017). The works on view are representative of Friedman’s speculative approach and deadpan humor, inviting the audience to bear witness to his creative maturing over the last handful of years.