Martha Friedman: Waffle

Martha Friedman's work conveys the artist's fascination with the sculptural characteristics of common objects, particularly food. In recent years she has made sculptures inspired by melons, eggs, macaroni pasta and sausage, in each case transforming the scale of the grocery item or arranging them in such a manner that invites viewers to explore their more formal qualities. For MetroTech Commons, Friedman has created a seven-foot-tall "waffle" submerged in a thick pool that suggests "syrup". Standing vertically upright, it appears to be melting or forming, and its enlarged scale brings focus to the rises, crevices, and surface of the foam, resin and metal construction. Friedman is especially interested in the grid patternÑa staple of modernismÑthat characterizes waffles and the way they are made in molds, a common method of sculpture making and one that she employs often in her work. Whereas Minimalists, including Agnes Martin and Sol LeWitt, used meticulous grids as repetitive formats in their artworks, Friedman's waffle is imperfect, functions as a "found" grid and in doing so, makes reference to an aspect of everyday life and human consumption.

Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1975, Martha Friedman received her undergraduate degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1998) and her MFA from Yale University (2003). She has had solo exhibitions at Wallspace, New York (2007), and has been part of group exhibitions at Triple Candie, New York (2008); Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati, Ohio (2007); Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City, New York (2006), and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York (2005), among other. Friedman has upcoming exhibitions at The Station, Miami, Florida (December 2008); Armand Bartos Fine Art, New York (November 2008), and Wallspace, New York (April 2009).

Ongoing at MetroTech: Tony Matelli's Stray Dog (1998), James Angus's Basketball Dropped from 35,000 feet at Moment of Impact (1999), and Tom Otterness's Alligator (1996) and Visionary (1997), all commissioned by Public Art Fund, continue to be exhibited within the MetroTech Commons.

MetroTech Center is located in Downtown Brooklyn between Jay Street and Flatbush Avenue at Myrtle Avenue. Viewing hours are dawn to dusk daily for outdoor works, Monday through Friday 8am to 6pm for Francis Cape's installations in the lobby of One MetroTech Center. Subway: A, C, F to Jay Street/Borough Hall, exit at Myrtle Promenade; R to Lawrence Street; Q to Dekalb Avenue. This exhibition is free.

Public Art Fund is New York's leading presenter of artists' projects, new commissions, installations and exhibitions in public spaces. For over 30 years, the Public Art Fund has been committed to working with emerging and established artists to produce innovative exhibitions of contemporary art throughout New York City. By bringing artworks outside the traditional context of museums and galleries, the Public Art Fund provides a unique platform for an unparalleled public encounter with the art of our time.

Recent critically acclaimed exhibitions and presentations include Olafur Eliasson's The New York City Waterfalls at four locations on the shorelines of lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Governors Island; Chris Burden's What My Dad Gave Me at Rockefeller Center; James Yamada's Our Starry Night, and Sarah Lucas' Perceval at Doris C. Freedman Plaza; Dara Friedman's Musical on the streets of Midtown Manhattan, and Alexander Calder in New York at City Hall Park.

Since 1993, Public Art Fund's program at MetroTech has exhibited new commissions and recent works by more than fifty emerging and established artists including Vito Acconci, Liz Craft, Jacob Dyrenforth, Tony Feher, Rachel Foullon, Luis Gispert, Corin Hewitt, Matthew Day Jackson, Matt Johnson, Nina Katchadourian, Peter Kreider, Tony Matelli, Ryan McGuinness, Dave McKenzie, Franco Mondini-Ruiz, Mamiko Otsubo, Tom Otterness, Ester Partegàs, Valeska Soares, Do-Ho Suh, Marc Swanson and Ursula von Rydingsvard.

Martha Friedman
Waffle
Ort: MetroTech Center, Brooklyn