Daniel Cosentino (b. 1974, New Jersey, USA) is a multimedia artist and educator whose work spans photography, sculpture, and mixed media. Exploring themes of latent communication, symbolism, and the interplay between organic and synthetic forms, he blends traditional techniques with contemporary innovation. His practice draws from personal history, philosophical inquiry, and art historical influences to probe the evolution of visual language.
Cosentino holds a BA in Philosophy from Rutgers University, a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio Arts from SACI (Florence), and an MFA in Imaging Arts/Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology. His early career included roles as a museum preparator at the George Eastman Museum and manager of Jackson Hole Custom Color Lab, grounding his work in technical expertise and historical context.
For over a decade, he lived in Europe, teaching in RIT’s global programs and serving in leadership roles, including Director for Media Programs and Vice President for Academic Affairs. These experiences, enriched by collaborations like National Endowment for the Arts grants and numerous international projects funded by private and public grants, have shaped his cross-cultural perspective on art.
Cosentino’s work has been featured in juried exhibitions like the New Jersey Arts Annual, the Rochester-Finger Lakes Exhibition (RFLX), and as a finalist in The Royal Photographic Society International Photography Exhibition, as well as galleries across the U.S. and Europe. His recent site-specific installations and sculptures examine the dialogue between natural and constructed worlds.
Now based in New Jersey, Cosentino continues to exhibit internationally while pursuing new projects that reflect his lifelong engagement with art, culture, and meaning.
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I search for purpose in making, exploring latent communications and the tension between intended messages and hidden symbols. Rooted in personal experiences such as loss, memory, and connection to the environment, my work moves across mediums, with photographic discourses at the core of my practice. I integrate traditional and contemporary techniques in pursuit of ideas, investigating the evolving nature of image-making and its relationship to meaning.
Through my process, I uncover double meanings where one form or image reveals an entirely separate significance. I am interested in the presence of the latent—the obvious and the profound, the banal and the exalted—existing side by side. Simple things become complex, and complex things become simple, depending on how they are framed and seen.
My focus shifts with time. Some seasons, I am drawn to aesthetic experience and beauty; other times, the conceptual dialogue between medium and idea takes precedence. My inquiry is rooted in the dialogue between self and object, using video, performance, and sculptural installation to explore identity through relationships and layered narratives.
Symbols and symbolism are central to this work, weaving meaning through associations with historical forms, particularly those found in Minimalism and Romanticism. These references are never fixed but serve as a framework to challenge expectations and open new readings.
The line between art and life is where the real risk lives, a place where personal stories and biographical references blur into the work, resisting easy interpretation. That is where the rewards are as well, in the tension between the observer’s understanding and the artist’s intent, in the space where new meanings emerge and evolve within contemporary practice.
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Contact: DANIEL COSENTINO, cosentinoworks@gmail.com