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Mark Cohen

Closer

May 11 – June 11, 2016

 Hole in Shirt, 1974, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Hole in Shirt, 1974

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Edwardsville, PA. 1975, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Edwardsville, PA. 1975

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Wilkes-Barre, 1974, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Wilkes-Barre, 1974

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 White Strap, 1974, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

White Strap, 1974

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Undershirt, Boy, Girl, 1974, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Undershirt, Boy, Girl, 1974

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Zipper, Chain, Dark Chest. 1974, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Zipper, Chain, Dark Chest. 1974

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Torn Shirt, 2010, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Torn Shirt, 2010

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Dark Knees, 1974, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Dark Knees, 1974

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Bare Thin Arms and Aluminum Siding, 1981, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Bare Thin Arms and Aluminum Siding, 1981

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Upside-Down Girl, 1974, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Upside-Down Girl, 1974

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Bellybutton Cartwheel, 1975, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Bellybutton Cartwheel, 1975

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Subway NYC, 1973, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Subway NYC, 1973

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 NYC, 1973, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

NYC, 1973

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Cheryl's, 1974, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Cheryl's, 1974

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Girl with Eight Sections, 1973, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Girl with Eight Sections, 1973

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Girl Flashed with Leaf, 1974, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Girl Flashed with Leaf, 1974

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Defiant Girl up on Fence, 1973, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Defiant Girl up on Fence, 1973

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Boy and Black Cat, 1977, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Boy and Black Cat, 1977

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Boy Smiling with Arms Out, 1970, 	11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print

Boy Smiling with Arms Out, 1970

11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print

 Teeth, Buttons, Hair, Square. 1971. , 	11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print

Teeth, Buttons, Hair, Square. 1971. 

11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print

 Hair, Hair. 1971, 	11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print

Hair, Hair. 1971

11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print

 Hair, Bar Stool. 1972, 	11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print

Hair, Bar Stool. 1972

11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print

 Exchanging Smoke on Square, 1971, 	11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print

Exchanging Smoke on Square, 1971

11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print

 Buttons, Hand. 1971, 	11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print

Buttons, Hand. 1971

11 x 14 inch gelatin silver print

 Jump Rope, 1975, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Jump Rope, 1975

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Bubble Gum, 1975, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Bubble Gum, 1975

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

 Boy and Football, 1974, 	16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Boy and Football, 1974

16 x 20 inch gelatin silver print

Press Release

Mark Cohen

“Closer”

May 11 – June 11, 2016

Danziger Gallery is pleased to announce our second solo show of the work of Mark Cohen.

Comprised of works from the early to middle 1970s, many of the prints are unique and being exhibited for the first time.  Focusing largely on pictures of the body, the title “Closer” refers to Cohen’s particular contribution to the medium of photography and his trademark style.  At a time when street photography was finding its place by looking at the harmonic or dissonant intersections of people and their environment Cohen got closer to his subjects than anyone else.

Shooting in the gritty environs of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Cohen’s literal and innovative closeness came from his method of holding the camera at arm's length just a few feet away from his subjects.  He shot without looking through the viewfinder, intuitively finding the perfect moment and composition.  Intrusive but elegant, by turns brutal and sensuous, Cohen’s cropped bodies and faces and the examined texture of skin and clothing reveal a finely tuned aesthetic consistency.  Every picture is printed full frame.  No subject is observed without purpose. "They're not easy pictures. But I guess that's why they're mine." Says Cohen.

Mark Cohen was born in Wilkes-Barre, where he lived and photographed for most of his life. (He now lives in Philadelphia.) His work was first exhibited in 1969 at the George Eastman House but came to prominence with his first solo exhibition at MoMA in 1973.

Cohen is the recipient of two Guggenheim Grants and his work is in the collections of major museums from the U.S. to Japan. His most recent retrospective in 2013 at Le Bal in Paris and the accompanying publication “Dark Knees” were singled out by critics around the world as outstanding achievements in photography.
 

This past year saw the publication of “Frame.  A Retrospective” published by the University of Texas press and containing over 250 images.  Along with several notable museum acquisitions, the Victoria and Albert Museum recently acquired 42 of Cohen’s prints for their permanent collection.