American photographer Cindy Sherman is regarded by many as one of the most influential and important artists in contemporary art. And when you see a large and diverse body of her work in one place, as in the recently opened exhibition at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), it’s not hard to see why.Throughout her 40-year career, Sherman has cemented herself as one of the most perceptive critics of contemporary society and its clichés and stereotypes. Taking on the multiple roles of model, photographer, hairdresser, make-up artist, and costume designer, Sherman uses prosthetics, wigs, makeup, props, and digital manipulation to transform herself into a vast range of different characters for her subversive portraits.In today’s photo-obsessed, image-saturated world, it is even more difficult for contemporary photographers to create work that stands out from the crowd. Sherman’s art not only achieves this visually, it does so while interrogating the construction of identity as well as challenging the role and definition of photography and portraiture. “In all her photographs, Cindy Sherman expands on contemporary society’s fascination with aspiration, narcissism and the cult of celebrity, and explores the resulting emotional fragility,” explains Ellie Buttrose, QAGOMA’s Associate Curator of Contemporary International Art, in a statement. “In an era obsessed with self-image, her work continues to influence generations of artists working in photography and video today.”“Cindy Sherman” at GOMA is the New York-based artist’s first Australian solo exhibition in more than 15 years. The revealing showcase brings together 56 large-scale photographic works from six series, all produced since the year 2000 when Sherman made her return as the model in her images after many years of using mannequins. In addition to works from the series “head shots,” 2000-02; “clowns,” 2003-04; “society portraits,” 2008; “Balenciaga,” 2007-08; and “Chanel,” 2010-2013, the exhibition also includes a five-metre-tall installation of Sherman’s “mural,” 2010, as well as images from a new body of work featuring female characters reminiscent of those in 1920s Hollywood publicity photos.With a repertoire including everything from subtle manipulation to gross exaggeration, Sherman creates portraits in which there is always something not quite right. It could be as extreme as a blatantly obvious prosthetic enhancement or an absurdly excessive application of make-up; or as inconspicuous as a slightly odd facial expression or pose. But in either case, the result is the same: the photographic portrait provides windows into parallel worlds where the characters are affinities rather than identities, both strangely familiar and familiarly strange – neither archetype nor antitype; neither her, nor the person that inspired them.As GOMA’s beautifully hung and well-curated exhibition reveals, the genius of Sherman’s practice lies in her ability to compose images that occupy an indefinable territory somewhere between fiction and reality, evoking while also destabilizing stereotypes. Her intuitively manipulated characters and carefully staged scenarios not only have the power to reboot people’s preconceptions of social and cultural “types,” and the process of identity creation that she critiques; they also provide a potent platform for fresh perspectives and a deeper understanding of both.“Cindy Sherman” runs through October 3 at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art.
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