Hole in Shirt, 1974
16 x 20 inches
Vintage gelatin silver print
Edwardsville, PA, August 27th, 1974
16 x 20 inches
Vintage gelatin silver print
Upside-Down Girl, 1974
16 x 20 inches
Gelatin silver print
White Strap, 1974
16 x 20 inches
Gelatin silver print
Zipper, Chain, Dark Chest, 1974
16 x 20 inches
Vintage gelatin silver print
Torn Shirt, 2010
16 x 20 inches
Gelatin silver print
Dark Knees. Wilkes-Barre, December 1974
16 x 20 inches
Gelatin silver print
Wilkes-Barre, 1974
16 x 20 inches
Gelatin silver print
Belly Button Cartwheel, 1975
16 x 20 inches
Vintage gelatin silver print
Defiant Girl up on Fence, October 1973
16 x 20 inches
Vintage gelatin silver print
Girl Flashed with Leaf, 1974
16 x 20 inches
Vintage gelatin silver print
Subway NYC, 1973
16 x 20 inches
Gelatin silver print
Untitled, 1975
16 x 20 inches
Gelatin silver print
Untitled, 1977
16 x 20 inches
Gelatin silver print
Pringle, PA, May, 1973
16 x 20 inches
Vintage gelatin silver print
Boy and Football, 1974
16 x 20 inches
Gelatin silver print
Bare Thin Arms and Aluminum Siding, 1981
16 x 20 inches
Gelatin silver print
Teeth, Buttons, Hair on Square, 1971
11 x 14 inches
Unique vintage gelatin silver print
Hair, Hair, 1971
11 x 14 inches
Unique vintage gelatin silver print
Exchanging Smoke on Square, 1971
11 x 14 inches
Unique vintage gelatin silver print
Bubblegum, 1975
16 x 20 inches
Gelatin silver print
Button, Hand, 1971
11 x 14 inches
Gelatin silver print
Boy Smiling with Arms Out, 1970
11 x 14 inches
Gelatin silver print
Comprised of works from the early to middle 1970s, many of the prints are unique and were exhibited for the first time at Danziger Gallery in 2016. 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.
In 2015, the publication of “Frame. A Retrospective” was 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.
