In Joseph, Fresno CA 2017 from "Plan Américain" series - a bearded man lounges in a booth at an empty restaurant. He makes contact with the camera, conscious of the woman watching him behind the lens. By exploring the complexities of manhood in an empathetic way, Coten, through a series of intimates portraits, raises questions on critical topics, such as the notion of gender or identity, and that of the power of the female gaze in art. 

Coten, who lives and works in Paris, won the Oskar Barnack Award in 2016. Since 2017, the artist has extended her exploration on the various shades of masculinity here in the U.S.