Contemporary Art Books & New York Public Library, 2023
Video, 3 minutes
’“The archive is an incredible source of knowledge and material, and I have always been drawn to the act of searching and discovering information. I love looking through old books and seeing how different the times were and it informs my ability to see how different the time is that we live in today. I am interested in the solitude and possibility of spending time in libraries. They are frozen in time which is an ongoing interest of mine. The contemporary art books in this video belonged to a good friend of mine who passed away. Painting her books was like painting her portrait, bringing this aspect of her to life.”- Nicole Cohen
40 -Love: The gallery is transformed into a virtual tennis game. Cohen’s video installation of two men volleying is projected on two 16 x 18 foot walls, one in the back of the gallery and the other in the front. The split screen creates the illusion of a life size tennis court allows for viewers to align themselves with the tennis net.
From this perspective, the synchronized ball bounces from screen to screen.
The video installation is an exploration of behavioral issues as they relate to psychology. Like previous works, the videos draw upon her fascination with scientific hypotheses about inexplicable phenomena that affect our psychological and physiological states. She invites the viewer to view the unseen powers that govern the rules of social etiquette, performance anxiety, and expected behaviors in private life set up by interior design.
"Studio Visits" was a commissioned interactive video installation designed for the Artist Ball/ Gala at the Brooklyn Museum. In 2010, it honored women artists. I chose women artists studios and when you sat in a chair you were transported into a photograph of historical woman artist studios.
