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Arris’ J. Cohen

@sir_ra_

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Visual Artist, Muralist, & Owner of Sir’Ra Aesthetics
Inaugural Community Artist in Residence @urbanartsspace
Art Educator at Franklinton High School

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A couple things happening right now.
My work is still up at 700 Bryden through the end of the month, so there are still a few days to catch that show.

Then in October, The Ascendant Alloy will be part of the Art of Soul! Juried Art Show at the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Wilberforce.

Opening October 24, 12–3 PM
@rickyborgia 📸 taken in 700 Bryden by @sir_ra_

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21 days ago

The Ascendant Alloy will be on view in the Art of Soul! Juried Art Show at the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center.

Opening: October 24, 2026
12–3 PM
Awards Ceremony: 1–2 PM
Wilberforce, Ohio

Glad to finally share this one! by @sir_ra_

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21 days ago

Cincinnati, I’m on the way! 🖼️🌱

I’m excited to join Gee Horton more for Prints, Plants, and Friends during Cincinnati Art Week.

I’ll be bringing five prints, including something I’m especially excited about: The Ascendant Alloy (Malcolm X) will be available as a print for the first time!

Big love to Gee for opening the door for me to share work in Cincinnati. I’m grateful for the opportunity and this is only one piece of what we’re building! More next summer. 👀

The original Ascendant Alloy will also be part of the upcoming Art of Soul! exhibition at the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center in Wilberforce, which makes finally releasing the image in print form feel especially timely.

Prints, Plants, and Friends
56 E. McMicken Ave. • Cincinnati
Oct. 3 | 4–8 PM
Oct. 4 | 12–6 PM
Oct. 7 | 6–9 PM

Cincinnati Art Week. Come see the work!

@sir_ra_ taken in Cincinnati, Ohio by @sir_ra_

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25 days ago

CHRYSALIS
4’x8’
Aerosol and Acrylic on wood panel

Some transformations don’t feel like becoming while you’re in their midst

September 12 | 5–8 PM
700 Bryden Rd. | 3rd Floor taken in 700 Bryden by @sir_ra_

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a month ago

Get ready to be taken to the next level in this exhibition by Arris Cohen coming to 700 Bryden in September

Join us for the reception during our Second Saturday September 12th 5-8pm

CHRYSALIS

Chrysalis examines the unstable space between what we have been and what we are becoming. Through Black figurative painting, memory, history, fatherhood, symbolism, and personal mythology, I consider transformation not as a clean act of rebirth, but as a period of pressure, rupture, reconstruction, and possibility.

A chrysalis is neither an ending nor an arrival. It is a temporary space where an existing form is broken down, reorganized, and made unfamiliar before something new can emerge. That idea speaks to the figures in these works, but also to the evolution of my practice. Over the last several years, my work has expanded through portraiture, surrealism, public art, historical narrative, pattern, and color. In Chrysalis, those familiar elements remain, but I am allowing them to shift. Figures become less fixed and more psychological. Atmosphere, gesture, abstraction, and light begin to carry as much meaning as the subject itself. Some works reach backward toward memory and history, while others move toward forms and ideas I am still discovering. I am interested in the place where identity is still being negotiated. Growth can require repetition, revision, shedding, and sometimes the willingness to move beyond visual habits or narratives that once felt necessary. The work does not attempt to present transformation as complete. Instead, it holds the tension of being in process.

Chrysalis is also about trajectory - not just where the work has been, but what is beginning to emerge from it. I see this exhibition as a marker in an ongoing practice: one that continues to explore Black life, fatherhood, memory, and personal mythology while opening itself to more vulnerability, experimentation, and ambiguity. Chrysalis exists in that middle space - between preservation and reinvention, familiarity and experimentation, inheritance and self-definition. It is less about arriving as something new than recognizing that becoming is already taking place.

Sir’Ra by @sir_ra_

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2 months ago

This one took everything I had.

Long days, late nights, weather, problem solving, changing plans, climbing up and down ladders, and figuring things out one section at a time. This weekend I was able to bring the mural to a point of completion for its unveiling.

There are still a few patterns and finishing details I want to add before the final clear coat, but I’m proud of where this piece has landed.

The mural pulls together Barberton’s architecture, landscape, history and movement through my own visual language; color, pattern, silhouettes, abstraction and layered imagery. I wanted it to feel connected to the city while still unmistakably being mine. I’d be remiss to not mention Curtis Goldstein as the original artist who designed this work and was slated to start and finish this mural before his passing last summer. Completing this work on his behalf has been humbling and bittersweet.

Seeing it from across the street after spending so much time directly against that wall was a moment I’ll never forget. This was one hell of a journey!

Still a little work left.

But this one is here.

Barberton, OH — 2026.

Thanks to @ryanstruck421 & all of the staff @kavecoffeebar for the hospitality and patience they’ve shown me throughout this time. Im thankful to the sponsors and city officials involved in the process of making this happen. Special Shoutout to @blick_columbus ,@blick_clevelandheights and especially @lookoutsupply for saving me a trip this past week! That was clutch to say the least. And Thanks to my sister @peace_is_priority for a few amazing photos and video. You and @rjcohen82 pulling up on me was needed! Love yall🙏🏾✊🏾

More Soon taken in Kavé Coffee Bar by @sir_ra_

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2 months ago

We are proud to announce our next two Artists-in-Residence at the @caccolumbus!

Our jurors combed through many talented, qualified, and impressive artists before deciding on two individuals whose work and mission stood out.

Please join us in welcoming Ursula Scheuer (@ula.scheuer) and Arris Cohen (@sir_ra_) to the CAC Artist-in-Residency family.

Ursula will be with us from September - December, 2026

While Arris will join us from February - June, 2027

Each artist brings a community-focused vision to their residency and an undoubtedly unique perspective from their art-making capabilities. We are excited and grateful to welcome these two deserving artists time, space, and resources to realize their vision and help us further ours.

For more information about either artist, please visit their respective social and websites. And, stop by during their residency to chat! taken in Priscilla R. Tyson Cultural Arts Center by @sir_ra_

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2 months ago

Preserving more than the photograph.

A recent commission created from an old family photograph of my client’s grandfather. As opposed to erasing the age of the original image, I wanted the painting to carry some of its history with it: the fading, the imperfections, the feeling of something that has survived long enough to be passed down.

Thankful for the trust that comes with painting someone’s family history.
@livrivas
Commissioned work | Sir’Ra taken in 700 Bryden by @sir_ra_

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2 months ago

Today, we’re highlighting “The Weight of Return” (2025) by Arris’ Cohen, an acrylic painting on view in “The Black Madonna & Other Sacred Spaces” at Urban Arts Space. The last day to see the show is tomorrow—Saturday, August 15—so be sure to stop by and see this amazing piece in person!

Community Engagement Intern Daelyn McGuire shares why she gravitated toward this painting:

“‘The Weight of Return’ caused me to feel seen, heard, and understood. In this piece, the artist is highlighting the heaviness and tension life may cause us to feel. It reminds me of ‘Woman of the French Colonies,’ which is what this figure is based on. Also, I think of how generations of people have carried the weight of displacement, resilience, and identity. Looking at the figure, I was reminded that many burdens are invisible, yet they shape who we are and how we move through the world.

This work connects strongly to the exhibition's themes of memory, history, identity, and belonging. Rather than simply looking back at the past, ‘The Weight of Return’ invites viewers to reflect on how history continues to influence the present. Participating in the string wall activity reinforced this idea for me because it encouraged visitors to make their own personal connections to the artwork. Adding a string became a way of recognizing that we all carry experiences, emotions, and histories that connect us to one another, making the exhibition feel both deeply personal and collective.”

#artisthighlight #artwork #painting #afrofuturism #columbusohio @_daelynnn Full view of a colorful portrait painting depicting a central bust-style figure set against a swirling pink, purple, and gray patterned background. taken in Urban Arts Space by @sir_ra_

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2 months ago

“You can’t sit around and wait for somebody to say who you are. You need to write it and paint it and do it.”

Huge thank you to @allpeoplearts for giving the opportunity to teach and mentor high school students through the Summer Mural @artsway_cbus program for a second time for the 2026. I got to work with some extraordinary artists, such as @sir_ra_ @jaylenfultz @peppermint_raygun @hakimsartnstuff @sugarrayairbrush @creativeshel10 @by_sydneerae @mrshortscreates & @fdzgraffiti just to name a few. You can’t be great by yourself! 💪🏽

To see the kids concepts turned into pieces, I wish it was programs like this growing up! Especially because they were also compensated teaching them to be paid for their talents. Watching these young artists step into their creativity and turn blank walls into stories was powerful. To show and teach our craft is a different type of alchemy.

Much love to @maroonartsgroup & @franklintonart for facilitating this program and helping bring public art to life in our community. 🙏🏾 You’ve created a space where the next generation can see themselves as creators, visionaries, and changemakers.

To my students and y’all showed up with talent, passion, and heART. Keep painting, keep dreaming, keep making your mark. This is just the beginning.
💪🏽🖤

#AllPeopleArts #MaroonArtsGroup #PublicArt #CommunityArt taken in Downtown Columbus by @sir_ra_

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3 months ago

We’re grateful to the team at Good Day Columbus for inviting us back on to talk about our latest free exhibitions! Katherine Moore of “Homing: Site Reflections” and curator Keya Crenshaw of “The Black Madonna & Other Sacred Spaces” spoke about their creative choices alongside Black Madonna artists Arris’ Cohen and Michol Childress.

Come enjoy both shows through August 15!

#gooddaycolumbus #fox28 #artists #ohioartists #columbusohio Artists and curators talking to news anchors at Good Day Columbus taken in Good Day Columbus by @sir_ra_

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3 months ago

Some days remind me why I keep showing up.

Grateful to spend time at @urbanartsspace today with the @artsway_cbus mural students. Watching young artists develop their own voices is just as meaningful as making the work itself.

“Weight of Return”
60x72
Acrylic on canvas

Check out The Black Madonna and other Sacred Spaces through August 15th! @sacredspacescollective

Back in the studio tonight.

📸 @_sagiuno taken in Urban Arts Space by @sir_ra_

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3 months ago