OREEN COHEN

Worry Stones, Oreen Cohen and Daeora ESH Cohen
Air Dry Clay, my Breastmilk encased in glass and wooden frame, 2021

Slabs of air dry clay hardened and then softened by my body. I massaged, scraped, scratched and rubbed crevices into the stone- releasing my worries through pregnancy and after. When I was in labor, I squeezed a “squishy” you my niece gave me- this expression of fear and pain allowed my body to cope with pain. 

For this artwork, I collaborated with my three month older daughter, Daeora to create her own set of worry stones. They say you can tell what your baby needs through their hands- clenched means they are hungry - relaxed means they are full. She has always clenched my fingers since she was born- for safety and comfort. Through this exploration, we have both learning about our bodies-  these small keepsakes become a relic of our bodies efforts. 

Oreen Cohen grew up between the Rust Belt of the United States and Northern Israel, currently living and working in Pittsburgh, PA. Her interdisciplinary art practice spans the potentiality of material, body and space in sculpture, painting, drawing, public art, intervention and video performance. Oreen received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture (2014) from Carnegie Mellon University and a BFA (2008) in Painting at the University at Buffalo. She has been active over the past sixteen years participating, collaborating in exhibitions and public commissions nationally and internationally building work in challenging sites, including; “When Artists Enter the Factory” at the Brooklyn Army Terminal (2019), Alloy Pittsburgh, Carrie Furnace(2015), FIGMENT Sculpture Project, Govenor’s Island (NYC), Flint Public Art Project, Chevy in the Hole (Flint, MI 2014). Oreen has well as participated in the class of 2013 at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and CerCCa Casamarles Residency in Catalonia, Spain. Recent projects include a permanent public art installation at Wightman Park, Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh installed Fall 2021 with the Pittsburgh Department of City Planning, an upcoming Solo drawing exhibition at Buffalo Arts Studios and private art commissions for the Summer 2021. Oreen serves as a program coordinator for Radiant Hall Studios in Pittsburgh, as well as program coordinator and co-founder of Hemispheric Conversations Urban Art Project and served over the years as a programming and education consultant for several non-profits throughout the Pittsburgh region. Follow the process on instagram @OCO.ART