Cindy Sherman Is Showcasing a New Series of Self-Portraits at Hauser & Wirth
On view in Zurich until September 16.
Hauser & Wirth is showcasing a solo exhibition by the acclaimed American artist, Cindy Sherman. The eponymously titled show bypasses the scenic backdrops she usually employs, in favor of a new series of digital collages created through self portraits, that Sherman pieced together with various wigs, costumery, and make up.
For over four decades, Sherman has used photography and self-portraiture as a means to interrogate the theme of identity. Her breakthrough 1970s series, Untitled Film Stills, consisted of 70 black-and-white photographs of herself, which she used to criticize and dismantle female stereotypes largely found in advertisements and film, such as the bombshell, fashion victim, or aspiring career girl.
Her latest body of work focuses specifically on the face, as the artist characteristically transformed her appearance in grotesque fashion through various costumes and photographs of her skin, lips and body that she collaged together. “When I’m shooting,” Sherman previously said, “I’m trying to get to a point where I’m basically not recognizing myself. That’s often what it’s about.”
By playing the role of photographer and subject, Sherman disrupts the voyeuristic gaze and the subject-object binaries that are often associated to the tradition of portraiture. Her highly fragmented images probe into the idea that “identity is a complex, and often constructed, human characteristic that is impossible to capture in a singular picture,” wrote a release by the gallery.
To complement the exhibition, Hauser & Wirth has published a new book that documents the series, along with a text by Sherman explaining her process. For those looking to attend, the solo show will be on view in Zurich until September 16.
In case you missed it, Hypeart spoke with YOSHIROTTEN about his FLUID GARDEN installation at LANDMARK ATRIUM in Hong Kong.
Hauser & Wirth
Limmatstrasse 270
8005 Zürich, Switzerland
