Masquerade Art

Re Alisa Tager’s May 3 review (“Emerging Master of Metamorphosis”) of Tom Friedman’s conversion of everyday objects into “elegant works that artfully challenge perception”: Hogwash!

There will never be a dearth of absurdities that masquerade as “art”--nor indeed of such gems as: “He challenges the notion that art can lead to transcendence by grounding his objects in their commonness.” With current works concocted from such inspiring ingredients as toilet paper, chewing gum, toothpaste and partially sucked Lifesavers glued together with sugar and saliva (translation: “spit”), what minimalist masterpiece can we next expect from Friedman? Baked excreta?

Time to grow up, kid! Such childish self-absorption is not becoming when one hits 28.

MARY De VALL

Santa Monica