Gallerina is a long-form interdisciplinary project by Lauren Cohen encompassing a graphic novel, a short film, ceramics, painting, and photography. Through satire and staged performance, the project examines power, identity, and self-perception within the contemporary art world.

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The work centers on a fictionalized protagonist who takes a position at a prestigious Chelsea gallery, referred to as “Someone’s Name Gallery.” Through this character, Cohen explores ambition, visibility, and self-erasure, tracing how institutional roles shape artistic identity.

Key elements of the project were developed during a residency at the Ace Hotel New York, where the hotel functioned as both site and stage. The residency resulted in an excerpt of the 14-minute iPhone-shot film, along with new paintings, photographs, ceramic works, and a one-person “art fair” staged within the artist’s room.

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Balancing humor with restraint, Gallerina uses empathy and absurdity to examine performance culture and the emotional economy of contemporary artistic labor.

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Excerpts of Gallerina were first shown at the Ace Hotel New York (September 26–November 21, 2024) and later included in Body Grounds: The Intimacy of Memory, Myth, and Loss at Powerhouse Arts (September 11–October 9, 2025). 

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Gallerina (Short Film)

Crew Credits

Written, Directed, and Performed by Lauren Cohen
Director of Camera: Kait Harrington
Audio and Musical Score: Michael Sachs
Dog Mask Fabrication: Taylor Lee Nicholson

All works below were produced at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn, New York through the Artist Subsidy Program.