Charles Cohen

About

American b. 1968   —   Cohen participated in the Core Fellowship at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston after earning an MFA (Photography ‘95) from The Rhode Island School of Design and a BA (Anthropology ‘90) from The University of Chicago. He has exhibited nationally and internationally with works most recently at Jack Shainman Gallery, The School. In addition to photography, Cohen uses video and digital imaging to explore a central theme—the fluidity of Self. His photography serves as a means to depict experiences that promote an expansive, permeable sense of Self. In the way that ethnographers blur the line between participation and observation in their method, Cohen seeks to examine the overlap within the dualities on which contemporary culture defines Self (i.e. “Us” versus “Them”). His process examines mundane subjects that depict an absence and imply or directly address a viewer, suggesting that one complete the meaning of the image in order to bridge the gap between individual and collective. Cohen’s video “Figures” can be viewed on Nowness.com and FilmEssay.com. Publications include: "Digital Art" by Paul, "CURVE: The Female Nude Now" by Dailey et al. “100 New York Photographers” by Cynthia Dantzic, and “Art/Porn: A History of Seeing and Touching” by Kelly Dennis. Collections include: The Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and The Portland Art Museum, Oregon.