installations
The Meaning of Wings
The Meaning of Wings, 2020-21, Glass, wire and handmade paper
Installation of Sculptures at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey as part of the exhibition Atlas of Impermanence.
From the catalog essay “The Work of Time” by Curator Mary Birmingham: The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered our concepts of work and time; for Cohen, it also amplified her ongoing concerns about environmental change and survival. Isolated in her studio, she made work that responded to feelings about illness and death, entrapment and escape. In the drawing The Meaning of Wings, diverging lines emanate from a single point, suggesting expansion, freedom, and flight. This drawing inspired Cohen to create the array of glass sculptures that hangs suspended in the gallery’s window wells. These abstract forms resemble wings that almost appear to take flight above the drawings, which remain firmly grounded in their sense of place. The interaction between the sculptures and the drawings creates a powerful synergy.
