The Commentator

It may be uncomfortable to see sides of yourself in Daniel Allen Cohen's best known work This Is Addictive, a witty take on vices that address not just obvious ones like drugs, affluence, and fame but technology, social media and shopping. All of his work creates interactive experiences that make viewers question our culture’s societal values. Cohen, a multi-faceted artist originally from Los Angeles, pushes the boundaries on societal issues with irony, humor, and sarcasm. He does so by creating lifelike final products that mimic the very culture they are criticizing. His crafts- manship is distinct, concise and recognizable; it will spark conversation regardless of the viewer's standpoint or experience. In his 2017 series, Periodic Table of Drugs, Cohen reconstructed the periodic table of elements into a parody replacing each element with various recreational drugs like cocaine and LSD. Each has a corresponding description as well, for instance, in cocaine, readers are told "side effects include: inflated ego, expertise with razor blades, rockstar mentality and extreme paranoia." Despite his sarcasm, Cohen thinks of his work very sincerely as his inner child, his calling and his purpose. Rather than using a reprimanding or moralizing lens, he employs irony and simple curiosity to encourage viewers to question where we place value in contemporary culture and in our own lives.