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Born in Samarkand to Ifraim Cohen-Yusupov, a descendant of Moroccan-born Rabbi Yosef ben Moshe Mammon [Maimon] Maravi, and leaved amidst the vibrant landscapes of Tajikistan and now thriving in the dynamic art scene of New York, I am an artist who traverses the realms of visual arts, set design, and costume design with a seamless blend of creativity and technical expertise.. My journey is one of exploration and expression, where the visual arts and live performance converge to create immersive experiences in theater, film, and opera across the globe.
My artistic odyssey began in 1992, and since then, my creations have been showcased on stages both in my local community and on prestigious platforms worldwide. I've had the privilege of contributing to productions at some of the world's most exciting venues, including the Metropolitan Opera House, the Bregenz Festival, Opera Australia, La Scala, the American Ballet Theatre, and Broadway. This global recognition is a testament to the universality of my artistic language and the depth of my creative vision.

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Bio

I believe theater design is an amalgamation, a fusion of various art forms - painting, architecture, music... It has to awaken the senses, it has to create an emotional, almost visceral experience for the audience. At its best, it also has to create something unique, something that has never been seen before. And for that, the set designer has to be able to bring to the fore his/her own emotional experience. The designer has to go beyond the rational, conscious mind and tap into the subconscious, that driver of our emotions which is by definition personal and unique.

And then form associations to that essence, which lead them to their subconscious. The play's essence is an Ariadne's thread which leads a designer deep within, to extract and bring to the surface their feelings, their past, and even their future.

The process of creating a breakthrough set design is not "thinking" it through - it's more akin to dreaming. But the dreams of a set designer have to be rich and evocative, and for that, it's important to train oneself to be a keen observer....

Welcome to my dreams. I hope you enjoy this journey.

PRESS

“However, as it turns out, there is an even more grandiose achievment. Designing the set of the Olympic Games in Soshi. That is out there in the stratosphere..”

-Valery Rodos, Philosopher, Logician, writer

“iosef possesses obvious major talent as an artist, which is supported by a great desire “to get to the bottom” of an idea and to materialize it in the most adequate way for each project that he is involved in.”

-Yefim Maizel Guest Stage Director, The Metropolitan Opera Artistic Director,The Opera Academy of California

“iosef”s experience of working on big stages makes him invaluable for the theatre stages in the whole post-Soviet area.”

-Shaig Safarov, Azerbaijan trend Life Director of Azerbaijan Theatre Training

“Always showed an enormous creativity and great theatrical sensibility, ability to quickly capture overall metaphor is unique”

George Tsypin Set designer The Language of Color Stage Dimensions

“equally at home with traditional realism and at expanding the boundaries of what can be achieved scenography and theatrical design.”

iosef yusupov