Zoë Cohen

12"x12" (14"x14" framed)

Mixed Media on Museum Board

2008

zoecohen.com

Artist statement:

What Was Our Vision is a series of 16 mixed-media works on paper that I developed based on visual research into the belief systems of the Ancient Near East. My search for connection with the history of Judaism led me to explore the iconography and earth-based belief systems of the Ancient Near Eastern cultures from which early Judaism developed. With these images, I imagine what visions my ancient ancestors may have had as they traveled desert landscapes as nomads and cultural go-betweens. The drawings were created in an improvisational process, allowing the imagery to coalesce as I developed meaning from each new element added to the page. Some of the symbols and imagery used in these works are taken directly from reproductions of ancient artwork.

Artist bio:

Zoë Cohen lives and works in Philadelphia, PA. She received her BA in Fine Arts from Haverford College and her MFA from Brooklyn College. Zoë's work has been exhibited at numerous venues in Philadelphia, New York, and Berlin, and is in the permanent collection of The Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art, The Philadelphia Cathedral, and the Museum of Art and Peace. Zoë has been an Adjunct Instructor at Tyler School of Art at Temple University, Moore College of Art and The University of the Arts. Her Studio Residencies include The Vermont Studio Center, Philadelphia's 40th Street AIR program, and the Artist-in-Residence program at the Philadelphia Cathedral. She has also taught at The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and managed arts exhibition and educational programs at the University City Arts League and at The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. In addition to her studio practice, Zoë currently works as a union organizer for workers in higher education with United Academics of Philadelphia.