Precious Bars

The trope is that children crave chocolate while adults crave money and power. In his series, Precious Bars, Cohen hybridizes these cross-generational desires and presents over-sized objects of nostalgia, lust and yearning. To do this, he parodies packaging of iconic chocolate bars that promise sugary treats, slightly altering their text to seduce with promise of wealth instead—Mr. Goodbar becomes Mr. Goldbar, KitKat turns into GoldRush and Heath changes to Wealth. Each package is torn partially open, revealing not the chocolate of the original but the power signifier of the pastiche: stacks of money or bars of gold. By appropriating such known identity systems and altering their meaning just enough without losing anchor to the original, Cohen creates a complicated series that simultaneously entices and entraps. Initially, these sculptures draw in viewers with their sleek fabrication and evocation of childhood luxuries; however, upon deeper examination they pivot to lustful desires of maturation. Whether Cohen is critical of this redirection is unclear. And it doesn’t really matter. Although he may conceal his own opinion regarding the spiritual efficacy of money, he reveals an even greater opportunity for his viewer to make this decision for him or herself.
Written by Lizy Dastin
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