 Cole’s work is generally discussed in the context of postmodern eclecticism, combining references and appropriation ranging from African and African-American imagery, to Dada’s readymades and Surrealism’s transformed objects, and icons of American pop culture or African and Asian masks, into highly original and witty assemblages.Some of Cole’s interactive installations also draw on simple game board structures that include the element of chance while physically engaging the viewer.His "Anne Klein With a Baby in Transit," from 2009, uses discarded high-heeled shoes to depict a mother and child.