As an experiment, Eli Cohen removed the hair off the left side of his body and began to journal about the experience. The result is a luscious and intimate photo essay that invites us to challenge assumptions and unearth hidden beliefs around masculinity, femininity, and gender. These tenderly provocative photos and words create a powerful prompt and open a doorway to the vast potential of experiences within our human bodies.

• Can our seemingly inconsequential decisions around body hair limit or expand our relationship to our own bodies, to desire and pleasure, and our range of emotions?

• What paths toward personal and societal transformation lay upon our skin?

• Does it make sense that most sweaty men never consider trimming their underarm hair?

• How much meaning is braided into our body hair?

• Is body hair a marker of masculinity, femininity, gender or genderqueer-ness?

• How would society change if each of us had access and the ability to choose with ease and intention, smooth or hairy, for each and every body part?

The acclaimed O Zhang’s works have appeared at Guggenheim Museum and Miro Art Museum, as well as solo exhibitions in New York, Beijing, London, and Istanbul. In A Body Hair Experiment she works her magic again. These luscious black and white photos will have you going back for more.

A Body Hair Experiment is a gentle and delicious invitation. Eli Cohen presents his body in his vulnerability, showing and telling. His words weave through reflections both personal and societal, while inviting the reader to do the same.