Artist Daniel Allen Cohen to showcase new work titled Hofmann University Chemistry Classroom at CONTEXT Art Miami
NEW YORK, Nov. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Daniel Allen Cohen, best known for his benchmark series, Periodic Table of Addiction piece will debut new work at this year's CONTEXT Art Miami from December 3rd to December 8th. In his largest, most ambitious project to date, Cohen has created an immersive art installation that apes the aesthetic of a college chemistry classroom. The setting is his invented Hofmann University, named after eponymous Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann, who discovered and first ingested LSD in the mid-twentieth century.
Hofmann wrote extensively on the drug, calling it "sacred" and convinced it unlocked a deeper, more mystical reality for its users. Cohen's University classroom exhibition space, is more appropriately site-specific than any white-walled gallery could be, to debut the new format of his Periodic Table of Drugs.
Rather than re-display the individual 24 drug modules in a format that looks like the complicated table while still being comprised of separate pieces, this time Cohen has crafted one massive and continuous work. Apart from its identity as an exhibition space, the classroom itself is an integral aspect of the viewing experience: the room is bedecked with science equipment and school accoutrements like backpacks, notepads, student essays and exams. The textbooks are all related to narcotics and the edifying posters on the wall are parodies of typical science posters, illustrating themes related to drugs, rather than physics or traditional chemistry.
Furthermore, for the opening reception of the show, Cohen himself will be a participant in the space, dressed in a lab coat and scientific goggles. This installation not only provides an environment to view Cohen's series with some intellectual splatter but also explores the distinctions between art and life, and the power given to educational spaces by our unquestioning faith in them.
About Artist Daniel Allen Cohen: Daniel Allen Cohen is a multifaceted artist from Los Angeles, California with a flair for commentating on societal issues in unique ways. Often exploring different mediums, Cohen's projects adapt and evolve with his current focus. Whether he targets addiction, drugs, wealth, or fame, his work is rooted in central themes that urge to be interacted with. danielallencohen.com
SOURCE Daniel Allen Cohen
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