Cari Cohen is an Argentine born painter and jewelry artist currently
living and creating in greater South Florida. Highly inspired
by both her career as a contemporary architect and by the ever-evolving
metropolitan Miami landscape, Cohen’s works in both mediums
transcend the boundaries between careful execution and spontaneous
creativity. The stark contrast between the preciseness
of her work with metals and unpredictability of her canvases
reveal two distinct artists within the artist.
Cohen was born in the capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires, which is often referred to as the “Paris of South America”. Much like its nickname-sake, Buenos Aires is as rich in architectural history as it is culture, serving as an ideal locale for the development of intelligent, artistic minds. Captivated by Buenos Aires’ eclectic urban landscape, Cohen was naturally drawn to the field of architecture. She obtained a degree in Architecture from the University of Buenos Aires in 1990 and furthered her educational career by specializing in multimedia design and photography.
Transcending each of Cohen series of paintings is the idea of “movement” – snapshots
of the world’s ever-changing and ever-evolving nature. She often wraps enigmatic
elements of her life in her paintings through the use of symbols and shapes.
While her initial process is always explosive and highly spontaneous, she completes
each of her paintings by contemplating her instinctive brush strokes to fully
realize the deep personal inspiration behind each piece. Completion of each canvas
comes.
While the spontaneous artistic experience persists in her painting, Cohen
further unpacks the esoteric messages she received in her other artistic medium: jewelry.
Cohen’s work with metals stands in stark contrast to her painting, offering
her a highly controlled and calculated means of expression. She often
engages one strong cryptic message or symbol derived from her painting as an
inspiration for a series of jewelry design.
Cohen views the preciseness of jewelry creation as a way to deepen her contemplation
of the symbols and signs that are revealed to her in her paintings. The
process of architecting jewelry enables her to materialize the cryptic messages
she receives during her highly subconscious painting process. She
sees the highly contrasting mediums of painting and jewelry creation as a means
to obtain a Zen-like balance as an artist.
