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.

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 I draw inspiration, 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.

Contact: DANIEL COSENTINO, cosentinoworks@gmail.com

Education

• 2009  Master of Fine Arts, Imaging Arts/Photography, College of Art and Design, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
• 2002  Post Baccalaureate Certificate, Studio Arts, Studio Arts Center International (SACI), Bowling Green State University, Florence, Italy
• 1998  Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy, Minor: Music (Classical Guitar Performance), Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

Awards/Grants/Fellowships

• 2023, 2024  NJ State Council on the Arts, Sussex County Art and Heritage Council, Regrant Program
• 2023  Lakeland Bank, Community Support Grant
• 2023  First Energy Foundation, Community Support Grant
• 2018  Erasmus +, Faculty Exchange Program, Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK), Finland
• 2016  Community Design Prishtina, U.S. Experts Program, American Embassy in Kosovo
• 2015  RITK Kosovo contingent to participate in Mikser Festival in Belgrade, Serbia, American Embassy in Kosovo
• 2014  AMICAL, Workshop: Engage Students in Creative Multimedia Production, The American University in Cairo
• 2013  Provost’s Grant for Innovation and Learning, Multi-Campus Environmental Research and Media Collaboration, RIT, Rochester, NY
• 2012  Open Society Fellowship, Open Society Foundations, Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2008, 2009  “Reshaping Rochester”, Access to Artistic Excellence grant, National Endowment for the Arts, Rochester NY
• 2004, 2005, 2006  Graduate Scholarship, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
• 2003  Student Scholarship, PhotoArts, Santa Fe, NM
• 2002  Graduate Scholarship, Studio Art Centers International, Florence, Italy

Selected Solo Exhibitions

• 2024  On Silence (Silenzio), Rusteberg Art Gallery, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX (Upcoming)
• 2016  youtopia / yo͞oˈtōpēə, Mikser Spaces, Mikser Festival, Belgrade, Serbia
• 2014  in•ter•sect, Basile Gallery, Eskenazi Hall, Herron School of Art and Design, IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN
• 2009  The Absence of My Pleasure is You, Hungerford Galleries, Main Street, Rochester, NY
• 2007  MFA Thesis Exhibition, University Gallery at RIT, School of Art and Design, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
• 2000  The First Year, Beantown Café Gallery, Jackson, WY

Selected Collaborative Projects

• 2021  Current(s) Home, Dance, Suffern, NY (Collaboration with Allison Pagano)
• 2015  Walk Project, a cross-classroom collaboration between students in Rochester, NY and Prishtina, Kosovo with Professor Roberley Bell
• 2014  in•ter•sect, Multimedia Presentations and classroom activities, Cross-Classroom Collaboration prior to a solo exhibition, Herron School of Art and Design, IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN (Collaboration with Stefan Petranek)
• 2012  Disputed Histories, 52nd Oktober Salon, Belgrade, Serbia (Collaboration with Vahida Ramujkić, students from American University in Kosovo, and Filip Polović)
• 2012  Prishtinë Mon Amour, ode to repetition, The Boro and Ramizi Palace of Youth and Sports, Prishtina, Kosovo (Collaboration with artists from across Europe)

Selected Juried Group Exhibitions

• 2024  40th Annual International Exhibition, Meadows Gallery, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX. January 21–March 7, 2025. (Upcoming; touring to four additional museums)(Juror: Alex Rockman)
• 2024  12th International Juried Print Exhibition, Remarque Print Workshop, Albuquerque, NM (Juried)
• 2024  Contemporary Works on Paper, The Art Gallery at Western Wyoming Community College, Rock Springs, WY (Juried)
• 2024  Alternative Processes, SOHO Photo Gallery, New York, NY (Juror: Aline Smithson)
• 2024  Abstract Dimensions, Epperson Gallery, Crockett, CA (Juror: Diane Williams)
• 2024  New Jersey Arts Annual: Exploring our Connections, Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, NJ (Jurors: Philemona Williamson, Kimberly Callas, and Todd Caissie) (catalogue)
• 2024  Sculpture, Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art, online, New York, NY
• 2024  HeatWave, SVA School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
• 2024  Art & Words: Art Inspired by Poetry, Emerge Galleries, Saugerties, NY
• 2024  Portrait: Self and Others, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury Vermont
• 2024  Monochrome, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury Vermont
• 2023  Fivce 2023, Official Selection, Ibagué, Columbia and Paris, France
• 2022  California Music Video Awards, San Francisco, CA
• 2021  Emotion and Soul, Suffern, NY (Audience Favorite)
• 2021  All Together Now: A Look at Community, Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Providence, RI
• 2021  International Photography Exhibition 163, The Royal Photographic Society, Bristol, UK
• 2021  New Jersey Arts Annual: ReVision and Respond, Newark Museum of Art, Newark, NJ
• 2021  The Portrait, Praxis Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
• 2021  Identity, International Juried Exhibition, Art Fluent, Cape Cod, MA
• 2020  New Photography II, Academy Art Museum, Easton, Maryland
• 2020  Realism: Encountering the Real, Site:Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NYC
• 2019  Gender in the Balance, Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY
• 2019  66th Finger Lakes Exhibition, Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
• 2018  New Works, Page-Walker Art and History Center, Fine Arts League of Cary, NC
• 2014  MePix: Picturing Ourselves in Photography and Video, Rochester Contemporary, Rochester, NY

Bibliography

• Kosovo 2.0  "The Newborn Monument Is in Conceptual Danger," December 14, 2020
• The Design Journal  "Designing the Identity of a New State: Kosovo Flag," May 2015
• Exhibition Publication  "A Retrospective Exhibition and Catalog: Shyqri Nimani: A Life in Design," Kosovo National Gallery of Art, September 2016
• Exhibition Publication  "Dardan Profiles: Selections of the Painter Isa Alimusaj," AUK Gallery, Prishtina, Kosovo, February 2011
• Exhibition Publication  "Healthy & Happy Cities: Urban Design with Nature," Rochester Regional Community Design Center, Rochester, NY, February 3, 2009

Lectures, Presentations, and Workshops

• 2023  Silence/Silenzio, Lecture and Conversation with Romeo DiLoreto, University of Texas Brownsville
• 2016  "Art, Education and Community Design: Personal Perspectives," Summer School as School, Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2022  "Institutional Critique and Institutional Practice," Lecture, Discussant: Daniel Cosentino
• 2022  "Radical Pedagogy and Autonomous Research Led by Artists," Summer School as School 2022 Conference 1, Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2017  "Art, Education and Community Design: Personal Perspectives," Summer School as School 2017, Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2016  "Conference: Education, Politics and Regional Collaboration," Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2015  "Community Design Prishtina, Personal Perspectives," Prishtina Architecture Week (PAW), Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2015  "Art and Educational Models," Panel discussion, Stacion Center for Contemporary Art, Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2014  "Walk Project," Cross-classroom collaboration between students in Rochester, NY and Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2014  "Community Design Prishtina," Symposium Moderator and Presenter, American University in Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2014  "Art and Community Design," Mikser Talks, Mikser Festival, Belgrade, Serbia
• 2014  "in•ter•sect," Lunch Talk, Eskenazi Hall HR 191, Herron School of Art and Design, Indianapolis, IN
• 2014  United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the AUK, "Social Good Summit," Broadcast with the 92st Y in New York, Host and presenter
• 2013  "Disputed Histories," Presentation with artist Vahida Ramujkic, Press To Exit, Skopje, Macedonia
• 2013  "Multicampus Environmental Policy and Media Collaboration," AMICAL Consortium, Rome, Italy
• 2012  "PRISHTINË - mon amour, ode to repetition," Visual Studies Workshop, Society for Photographic Education, Northeast, Rochester, NY
• 2011  "The Photograph: New Visual Literacies in the 21st Century," Alpbach Society, Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2009  "Art Conversation: Art Basel Miami Beach 2009," Rochester Contemporary, Rochester, NY
• 2009  "Contemporary Video Art and Production in the Market Place," Lecture, College of Imaging Arts & Sciences, Rochester, NY
• 2009  "Trauma in the Contemporary Art Market," Traumatic Images, College of Liberal Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
• 2008  "Reading Images," Honors English, Introduction to Cultural Studies, Rochester, NY
• 2008  "War," Traumatic Images, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
• 2007, 2008  "Contemporary Trends in Moving Media Production," Moving Media, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
• 2006, 2007  "Palladium Printing in the 21st Century," Genesee Center for the Arts & Education, Rochester, NY
• 2004  "Atget, Building Presence," Studio Art Centers International, Florence, Italy

Professional Service

• 2022-2024  Founder, Alpha Arts Institute, Sussex County Community College, Newton, NJ
• 2018-2024  Board Member, Stacion Center for Contemporary Art, Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2017-2022  Board Member, Open Data Kosovo (ODK), Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2010-2020  Advisor, Media Club, Fine Arts Club, RIT Kosovo (A.U.K), Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2014-2015  Chair of Academic Senate, American University in Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo
• 2009-2010  Hungerford Urban Artisans, Graphic Design Committee Head, Rochester, NY
• 2004-2006  President, Graduate Photography Association, Student Government Association, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
• 1999-2002  President, The Jackson Hole Photography Association, Jackson, WY

Professional Organizations, Memberships, and Affiliations

• College of Reviewers, The Design Journal, Taylor and Francis, London, UK
• Alternative Processes International Symposium, Santa Fe, NM
• American Conference of Academic Deans (ACAD)
• AMICAL Consortium, Paris, France
• Brooklyn Center for Social Research, New York, NY
• College Art Association (CAA)
• Erasmus +, European Union, Brussels, Belgium
• Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY
• Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY (MoMA)
• Rochester Institute of Technology Alumni Association, Rochester, NY
• Rutgers University Alumni Association, New Brunswick, NJ
• Society for Photographic Education (SPE)
• The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY

Artist Residencies

• 2025  University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX (Upcoming)
• 2024  School of Visual Art (SVA), Contemporary Practice, New York, NY (June 1 – June 30)
• 2022  Stacion, Center for Contemporary Art, Summer School as School, Prishtina, Kosovo (August 1 – August 28)
• 2017  Erasmus+ Faculty Exchange, HAMK Häme University of Applied Sciences, Hämeenlinna, Finland (October 10 – October 17)