HOUSE Berlin presents the exhibition Session. Derived from the old French word “seoir” (to sit) for a session or gathering, a “session” implies existence and a numerous presence. Séance includes a selection of works differently addressing the themes of metaphysics, transcendence, the subconscious and death, forming a frame of reference around the artist’s works Jeff Cowen (*New York, 1966).
In the field of contemporary photography, Jeff Cowen’s work presents itself as a mystical medium, connecting the visible with the invisible and the present with echoes of the past. His painterly photographic practice, deeply rooted in the history of photography, transcends the traditional boundaries of the medium, exploring the ethereal aspects of time, memory and spiritual resonance.
Photography, spiritualism and the occult have a closely linked history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the spiritualist movement, seances, and interest in the supernatural coincided with the rise of photography. Even some of the surrealist practices, which contained an influential opening toward alternative or “magical” realities, are rooted in spiritualism. The surrealists Breton and Apollinaire are often credited with automatic writing, but in fact the original ancestor of this technique was spiritualism.
The transcendence in Cowen’s work is evident in his ability to transform ordinary subjects into profound, almost supernatural experiences. His photographs are not simple representations; they are invitations to a deeper realm of existence. Through a meticulous process of manipulation and layering in his laboratory, Cowen brings out the invisible aspects of his subjects: their aura and their spirit.
A session is a way to address unresolved questions, seek knowledge, and acknowledge the influence of the past. It is a bridge between the present and the enigmatic times of the past, offering a form of dialogue and understanding of what happened to change the present.
As 2024 marks the hundredth anniversary of the emergence of surrealism, Séance examines the artistic movement’s lasting impact on the mediums of photography and the moving image.
Text by Juliet Kothe
Jeff Cohen with works by Hans Bellmer, Joseph Beuys, Anna & Bernhard Blume, Claude Cahun & Marcel Moore, Maya Deren, Paul Éluard (Pseud. Didier Desroches) with Dora Maar & Man Ray, Germaine Dulac, Rudolf Koppitz, Albert Leo Peil , Sigmar Polke & Christof Kohlhöfer, and Margaret Raspé.
Session
Until June 14, 2024
HOUSE Berlin
Friedrichstrasse 112 B
10117 Berlin, Germany
https://house.berlin/
