Cohen was born in 1962 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and lives in Lille, France. He is a visual and performance artist, staging interventions in the public realm and in gallery/theatre spaces.
He has performed extensively on the festival circuit, at such prestigious venues and events as the Festival d’Automne, Centre Pompidou, Paris; the ImPulsTanz Vienna International Dance Festival; the National Arts Festival in Makhanda; Théâtre du Rond-Point, Paris; Montpellier Danse; Festival d’Avignon; Munich Opera Festival, Bavarian State Opera; Festival Escena Contemporánea, Madrid; Bozar in Brussels; Oktoberdans, Bergen, Norway; and Canadian Stage, Toronto.
Cohen participated in the 11th Havana Biennale (2012) and the first Aichi Triennale in Japan (2010). Recent group exhibitions include IncarNations: African Art as Philosophy, BOZAR Centre for Arts (2019); Lignes de vies - une exposition de légendes, Musée d’Art Contemporain du Val-de-Marne (2019); the EVA International, Irish Biennial of Contemporary Art (2018); Disguise: Masks and Global African Art, Seattle Art Museum and Brooklyn Art Museum, USA (2015-16); Chercher le garçon, Musée d’Art Contemporain du Val-de-Marne, France (2015); Josephine Baker and Le Corbusier in Rio - A Transatlantic Affair, Museu de Arte do Rio (2014); Black Milk: Holocaust in Contemporary Art, Museum for Contemporary Art, Roskilde, Denmark (2014); My Joburg, La Maison Rouge, Paris, and Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (2013); Revolution vs Revolution, Beirut Art Centre, Lebanon (2012); No Fashion, Please: Photography between Gender and Lifestyle, Vienna Kunsthalle (2011); Dada South?, South African National Gallery, Cape Town (2009-10); and Under Pain of Death, Austrian Cultural Forum, New York (2008).
From 2003 to 2008 Cohen was an associated artist of the Ballet Atlantique/Régine Chopinot in La Rochelle, France. He has participated in residencies at the Baryshnikov Arts Center and the Center for Performance Research in New York, and conducted workshops in Body Scenography at CIFAS (International Centre for the Performing Arts), Les Brigittines, Brussels, and Haute école des Arts du Rhin, Strasbourg, among many other institutions.

A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.
Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.
Learn more about Ocula Magazine
Showcasing the best of the art world.
Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.
Learn more about Ocula Membership
Specialises in the sale of major artworks.
Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.
Learn more about our team and services