EP 01 Joseph Cochran II "Public Work"

In this episode, Samantha Sutcliffe talks with Joseph Cochran II about his solo exhibition Public Work that opens July 10th 6-9pm at Swivel Gallery.

Topics Discussed: public trust, social practice, mythology of biography and how image making contributes to society.

Joseph Cochran II “Public Work” showcases a new body of work by the artist that explores photography not only as a mode of documentation, but as a social practice — a tool of resonance. The focus of Public Work roots deeper than the practice of image-making, it rather reflects a sustained inquiry into how photographs can operate in response to civic life, echoing through the social field and becoming part of its texture. Through nearly a decade, Cochran has developed a practice attuned to how public life is structured, sustained, and strained, delving into its nuances in a studious manner to investigate how photography can intervene in that space. Rooted in the artist’s engagements with public education, electoral politics, and city legislature, Public Work investigates the visible and invisible frameworks that underpin society. The series traces a progression: from observation to proximity, from proximity to responsibility. What emerges is a nuanced portrait of civil society as something not abstract, but built and maintained through labor — labor that is often under-recognized, and often taken for granted.