I became particularly intrigued by Cohen's "Buff" Series, which focuses on removing human figures from pornographic images. These images, usually set in vibrant, vivid environments, are centered around completely erased human forms, which provides for an unusual visual effect amid stark contrast. Upon seeing the image, a viewer can more or less discern the scenario, but is forced to move around the forms and make sense of the emptiness that has achieved some sort of presence. In some images (such as the second one presented below), it is nearly impossible to distinguish the two figures; these figures, upon many moments of staring, begin to lose their identity as humans and move into a more organic existence (sometimes developing more of a dependency on rhythm or line). Do these works lose the voyeuristic gaze that many pornographic images take on? Does it feel like the absence of figures somehow implies the absence of true romantic or legitimate sentiment between these individuals? Can we even call these figures individual when their entire identity has been erased from the image? Cohen brings all of these thoughts into question through the creation of these images.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbd5Dvwa7ElnWUyZ79g2us5u8uwFy6z8Ufix_UChuuLm5w3Cf3pg0FFwBZbPyI23-_P0zTx9bUS-nRKoVesUSqAcL3fgYbZ_OQ6hT-JU2ieLPYaZdghL1lCm6XcyYQwnTp8m9O4kbR_gl/s320/CharlesCohen0086.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4omV4TO11OQ/UD7UIx2060I/AAAAAAAAAA8/SjRupZ_1hN0/s1600/u7852.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dAI6tA1vz98/UD7UGpgn1GI/AAAAAAAAAAk/q5NjKP_eRas/s1600/art1.jpg
Being an artist who is attracted to depictions of the human form, Cohen's body of work was a very interesting study. I truly enjoyed the stark contrast depicted in all of his works, as they worked as a sort of unifying whole despite the various subject matter. The subject matter itself is worth noting. Pornographic images are (more often than not) viewed in private and are considered to be embarrassing if some are found in one's possession. Cohen's choice to make these very private matters public, to start a serious forum of discussion about them, is a daring one. Just as Cohen brings this (sometimes considered to be) lewd industry to light, he cuts out the one thing that makes the industry boom. If anything, I would love to see this topic and style explored in the context of intimate situations as well, where the images may not necessarily be pornographic but more emotionally centered.
*(Biographical information on Cohen obtained from http://rhizome.org/discuss/view/23105/)
I discovered Cohen in Christains Paul's "Digital Art" reading.
These edited images are very intriguing. Cohen's work is interesting to me as well because he calls our attention to how we interpret images. Even with just the suggestion of a human form we can read in what is being depicted; if a viewer were to look at these images all you are actually seeing is the background and shadow but we automatically read that negative white space as a human and also we can guess as to what position the form is in. In this way Cohen addresses an aspect of how we view the world that I am particularly invested in with my art, that being the amount of interpretation that goes into defining shapes as image.
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