"Untitled (Male/Female Artist)"

gelatin silver print

signed, dated and numbered (pencil) on verso

By turning the camera on herself, Cindy Sherman became one of the most important photographers of the late 20th century. Although she mostly photographs herself, these are not self-portraits. Sherman uses her own body as a means to critically examine role models, in particular the construction of gender and the role of the artist. In numerous series of works, she developed a distinctive style that raises questions about identity, representation, and power structures in the art world.
Sherman grew up without any close connection to art. It was only while studying at the State University College in Buffalo that she discovered artistic practice. After initially painting, she turned to photography, which allowed her to realize her ideas conceptually and performatively. After graduating in 1976, she moved to New York and gained international attention with Untitled Film Stills, in which she embodied stereotypical female figures from film and media.
Sherman continues this exploration of role models in the series Untitled (Male/Female Artist). Here, she stages herself as male and female artist figures and questions authority, ego, and gender attributions within the art world. Through masquerade, costume, and deliberately exaggerated poses, she exposes the artist as a social role rather than an authentic self. The anonymous titles once again emphasize that this is not about Cindy Sherman as a person, but about cultural constructions of identity.
(Christoph Fuchs)