Ice Cream Social by David Robbins at Greene Naftali, New York

This picture is a detail of David Robbins’ Ice Cream Social, an extended project composed by visual artwork, live performance, a novella, a television show and a feature movie script. Investigating the intersections between art, entertainment, and comedy, David Robbins started in 1993 to work on this project when a Baskin-Robbin (a US ice-cream company) ice cream “parlor” was used for an exhibition of paintings based on the company’s graphics. According to him the Ice Cream Social is an occasion for the members of a community to gather together to relax with friends and enjoy confectionery refreshments. Close to the research of Pierre Huyghe and Rirkrit Tiravanija, he is one of the figures of the concept of relational aesthetic. David Robbins contributed to Purple in the nineties and published a novella about the whole experience of Ice Cream Social with us. Ice Cream Social by David Robbins is a part of Entertainment’s exhibition which runs until April 2nd at Greene Naftali, 526 W 26 St, New York. Text and Photo Pierre-Alexandre Mateos