One of Tamar Cohen’s (@ilovedots) favorite childhood books was “Put Me in the Zoo,” about a character named Spot — and the New York-based artist has put dots in starring roles ever since. “Of course, people sometimes are like, ‘Really? You’re still doing dots?’ But honestly, it brings me a lot of joy,” she says.
Tamar makes complex collages and silkscreens, some measuring five feet (1.5 meters) tall and made up of more than 90 pages of vintage comics and other dotty ephemera that are glued in place. She hides pictures with dots, or uses them as “windows.” Her dots are playful, mischievous, even sinister — but never dull. “I know I’m not reinventing the wheel here,” Tamar admits, well aware of inspiration like Roy Lichtenstein, but she is committed. “I tend to be a very loyal person and I was just thinking, ‘Wow. I’m pretty loyal to my dots.’ I’m kind of true to them, and I feel like I’m not done at all yet.”
Photo by @ilovedots