It’s obvious that the time and space we live in affect our vision of the world. That is even more apparent in artists’ works, who convey their viewpoint through painting, sculpture, music, film, photography, and more. For Ezra Cohen, who lives and works in New York City’s Hell Kitchen area, the month-long residency in Mexico City’s Jo-hs art gallery was hugely impactful.
Cohen’s work is very process-based, meaning that he takes quite some time to complete a piece. “The paintings take about a year to a year and a half to finish. There is a lot of layering and removing of paint, living with it, destroying and rediscovering,” he explains to us in this interview. So, for his current exhibition Elysium, on view at Jo-hs through May 30, he took some work-in-progress paintings from New York to Mexico City to finish them. The result, of course, has definitely changed them. How? “I’m 100% sure the paintings would be different if I had finished them in New York, but it’s hard for me to say in what ways,” the painter confesses. Today, speak with him about his best memories during his residency, mythology, the importance of history, and sci-fi movies.
Hi Ezra, thanks for speaking with us. After over a month of living in Mexico City developing your work and exploring the city, what’s your favourite part of this journey been?
My favorite and most impactful experience was visiting Museo de Antropología. I’ve always been interested in ancient art and culture, and after seeing Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, I was inspired to learn more about Latin American history and culture. I was deeply moved by the works, and being able to see such a large and impressive collection of art and history in one place was very impactful.
For your new solo show at Jo-hs, you told me you brought some works from NYC and finished them during your residency. Could you tell us more about this process?
Yes, the paintings in the exhibition have been worked on for over a year, some longer. Finishing them in Mexico City outside of my studio in New York was special, and hopefully my experience in Mexico imprinted on the work.
Artists are influenced by what they see, hear, and live. In what ways do you think your residency in Mexico has affected the final outcome of the pieces brought from New York? Do you think they would’ve been very different had you finished them in your Hell Kitchen studio?
The month in Mexico City was incredible and I absorbed as much as I could in the time I spent there, but I know the city is vast and—like New York— the neighborhoods change rapidly. I’m excited to come back and experience more. I’m 100% sure the paintings would be different if I had finished them in New York, but it’s hard for me to say in what ways or how. I don’t work with a final outcome in mind, but allow the process to detach from my original ideas and transform along the way.
“The state of the world is, of course, impacting me and showing up in the paintings unconsciously, but I consciously want the paintings to inspire good.”
Your new solo show is titled Elysium, and according to the press release, it “explores ‘the other side of the veil’ as a mythological paradise and apocalyptic destruction.” Is this dark topic inspired by the current state of the world? Or does it come from something more personal?
‘The other side of the veil’ seems to me to be deeply woven into Mexican culture— celebrating the lives of the dead and inviting the ghosts of the ancestors in with their favorite foods are two great examples of this. That is the bridge to the other side of the veil right there.
The state of the world is, of course, impacting me and showing up in the paintings unconsciously, but I consciously want the paintings to inspire good. Megiddo is the apocalyptic destruction scene we are talking about, but what comes after destruction is renewal and rebirth, and I want the viewer be able to experience the beauty of that natural cyclical movement through my work.
The state of the world is, of course, impacting me and showing up in the paintings unconsciously, but I consciously want the paintings to inspire good. Megiddo is the apocalyptic destruction scene we are talking about, but what comes after destruction is renewal and rebirth, and I want the viewer be able to experience the beauty of that natural cyclical movement through my work.
As a curiosity, there’s a film titled Elysium as well that also tackles an apocalyptic world, and it was partly filmed in Mexico. Is this a coincidence? Have you watched it all?
I haven’t actually seen that film, I’ll have to check it out. I do love sci-fi movies and shows, though. Some of my favorites are Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Prometheus and Raised by Wolves.
I love how your work finds a space between the figurative and the abstract. From animals to human figures, to heavy layers of colours and textures that are harder to decipher, the viewer must take some time to really dig into the paintings. With such a complex process, how long does it take you to finish a piece?
Thank you! The paintings take about a year to a year and a half to finish. There is a lot of layering and removing of paint, living with it, destroying and rediscovering.
“Ideally, the art lets you break away from fast content altogether and invites the viewer to put down the phone and look a little more closely at the complicated beauty of the world.”
Also, time is the new luxury. In a world filled with never-ending content aiming to catch our attention, stopping in front of a painting to focus on the details is something not many people do. What would you like viewers to perceive or do when visiting your exhibition?
I’m not trying to sell the audience on something. Ideally, the art lets you break away from fast content altogether and invites the viewer to put down the phone and look a little more closely at the complicated beauty of the world in and around us all. Once the works have been installed, they have a life of their own beyond my control. In a lot of ways, the viewer’s unique experience of the works complete them.
The show opens with the very eye-catchy Cranes - After Ogata Korin. Through its title, I guess it’s a sort of homage to 16th-century Japanese artist, Ogata Korin. When did you discover his work, and what inspired you to bring his paintings and lacquer works to the contemporary time?
I always try to pay homage to the artists that came before me. I think it’s important to honor the many artists who paved the way for me. I first heard of Ogata Korin at a Knox Martin lecture where he was talking about everything the Ogata Korin painting Cranes does — the composition and movement of the birds, and just how beautiful the painting is. When Knox passed away, I spent the year after his death thinking about all of his lessons and legacy, which eventually brought me to my take on Cranes.
You also show your love for past artists and themes in Three Graces. What’s your relationship with history and mythology? And as a curiosity, do you have a favourite myth?
The Three Graces are inspired by many artworks through history including a beautiful three graces statue at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I’ve always been interested in myth and biblical stories— I’ve done paintings of Prometheus, the Burning Bush, Passover, the Splitting of the Moon, and The Watchers. I can't say that I have a favorite myth, but I’m always searching for inspiration.
To finish, now that you’re back home, what are your plans for the upcoming months?
Paint more. Maybe some sculpture. Should be fun.
