Cohen / Estate
Lynne Cohen / Estate
Untitled (observation room with two-way mirror), 1980-1989
Black and white analog photography
21,5 x 27,5 cm ( 45,5 x 50,5 cm framed )
Edition of 4 ex
Signé
l'artiste & Galerie In Situ / fabienne leclerc, Paris
Observation rooms
The many windows in Cohen’s pictures emphasize the act of looking and framing, the two main operations in her practice. They also reflect her interest in scientific frameworks in relation to her work. In this sense, the observation rooms function as metaphors for photography. The well-lit rooms are the inside of the view camera, and the one-way mirrors are its ground glass showing the object in reverse.
In the 1970s and 1980s, observational methods in psychology enjoyed great popularity
in the United States. Experimental psychologists hoped to understand human behavior, just like we hope to understand the world through pictures. Yet, the mirror manipulates people’s behavior as it directs attention towards themselves; they tend to act according to certain standards of society. In their crisp rendering of detail and in their frontal perspective, Cohen’s works evoke the polished surface of a mirror and reflect our life.
Extract from the press kit of the exhibition Laboratories / Observatories, Centre Pompidou, 2023
