Burglar Bait

Through the series Burglar Bait, Cohen completely subverts both its concept but also its design. The safe that traditionally is opaque to conceal the decadent contents within is, in Cohen’s fabrication, translucent. The stacks of cash that Cohen systematically piles are all the more tempting and enticing since viewers can see them. Apart from the dialectic of concealing and revealing, another subversion of the safe relates to its exhibition. Typically, treasure safes are hidden deep within the recess of a given space: within a pyramid, tucked behind stacks of clothes or scattered amidst underwear in a drawer. Cohen; however, intends for his safe on prominent display. The title emphasizes a practical intention for the work: to dazzle intruders and trick them into thinking this false safe is the only one inside the house. But the meaning behind Burglar Bait is far more than functional. Ideologically, the work taps into our human drive to regard the luxury of objects and economics with the extent of our own value. In fine art portraiture, subjects are often painted wearing their finest clothes and situated within their estates to emphasize their wealth, i.e., their identity. Character gets incorrectly conflated with cash and Cohen’s work becomes an inroad into understanding this fallacy. Burglar Bait presents viewers with a multitude of illusions: the illusion of protection, of safety and of what constitutes as the value of a given person.

Written by: Lizy Dastin