#47 – Can You Keep Your Integrity and Still Eat? | Joseph Cochran II

Multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and educator Joseph Cochran II returns to The Truth In This Art. A native New Yorker, Cochran practice spans photography, video, and archival work, with NYC baked in. Cochran examines the emotional cost of late capitalism in industrialized societies.

In this conversation: 

Cochran discusses living and working in China, rebuilding after loss, and how his identity shapes how he moves through the world. He reflects on balancing financial survival with creative ethics. He also discusses staying connected to his communities and the emotional weight in his work.

This is a candid, witty conversation about legacy, creative freedom, and staying grounded.

Topics include:

• Learning to live without depending on art to make a living—and why that helped his practice
• Why staying connected to the streets isn’t about authenticity, but accountability
• The power of memory in his photographs—and why he remembers every shot
• Thoughts on working in Shanghai, Brussels, and the Balkans while staying rooted in NYC
• Upcoming exhibition Public Work opening July 10 in New York

🎧 Want more? Check out Joseph Cochran II’s first interview in the archive—where we talk about the early days of his work and life abroad. 

The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore). 

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

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