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Joseph Cohen (b. 1982, Houston, Texas) is an American artist whose work examines the relationship between perception, materiality, and the aspects of human experience that exist beyond the visible world. Working at the intersection of painting, material science, and optics, Cohen creates tactile artworks that investigate presence, time, and the limits of human perception.
His ongoing Proposition series is developed through an accumulation of gestures, decisions, and materials over extended periods, with each painting becoming a record of sustained attention and the belief that our identities are shaped by the actions and experiences we accumulate, including those that are no longer visible. His interdisciplinary practice incorporates advanced materials, including separated carbon nanotubes, quantum dots, and specialized pigments that exhibit optical properties beyond the visible spectrum.
For more than a decade, Cohen has collaborated with scientists and researchers at institutions including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Rice University, and Houston Methodist Research Institute. His collaboration with the Heller Lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering contributed to research published in Nature Communications in 2019, demonstrating the potential for artistic experimentation to inform scientific innovation. Cohen’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including his 2026 solo exhibition To Be Here at Friedrichs Pontone in New York.
