Cindy Sherman, Untitled #70, 1980, chromogenic color print, object: 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.96 cm) © Cindy Sherman, courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures
Photography was said be to be the medium that didn’t lie and told the story as it’d happened. That is, until artists started challenging this assumption in the 1960s and 1970s, with Cindy Sherman leading the pack. Being one of the most influential photo artists of the late 20th century, Sherman has consistently analysed the fluidity of identity and has inspired generations of younger artists to drag up and perform for the camera.
“Cindy Sherman: Imitation of Life”, is a new exhibition in LA showing the entirety of Sherman’s career, including film projections from her early years up until the present. Most known for her self-portraits which focus on societal stereotypes of the female persona, she often assumed the role of make-up artist, director and hair stylist for each image. Controversy arose in 1976 when the young creative, fresh out of art school, shot a series of portraits entitled “Bus Riders” prominently featuring the white woman in blackface. Some of these are also on display at the Broad and are set to reopen discussions of the subject.
Thanks to modern day technology, Cindy has been unable to escape the necessary and meaningful dialogue this work deserves. In 2015, Twitter user @E_SCRAAATCH created the hashtag #cindygate, a social media movement which was then featured on The Creators Project. Curious patrons will have the opportunity to view these problematic photographs at the survey, which includes over 120 artworks.
Cindy Sherman, Untitled #92, 1981, chromogenic color print, 24 x 48 inches, The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Collection, Courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures
Cindy Sherman, Untitled #512, 2010/2011, chromogenic color print, 79 3/4 x 136 7/8 in. (202.57 x 347.66 cm) © Cindy Sherman, courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures
‘Untitled #355’ and ‘Untitled #397’, images courtesy of MoMA
‘Untitled #425’, image courtesy of MoMA
“Cindy Sherman: Imitation of Life” is on display at The Broad in Los Angeles from 11 June until 2 October 2016