Cindy Sherman’s unsettling, fragmented portraits go on show in New York
Cindy Sherman unveils 30 new works at Hauser & Wirth, New York
Cindy Sherman has long been fascinated with the concept of a persona, dismantling archetypes with unflinching portraits. Evocations of familiar faces – Madonna with child, ageing socialites, film stars – become unfamiliar through Sherman’s lens, distorted with props, filters and digital manipulations.
Cindy Sherman at Hauser & Wirth New York
It is this latter method to which Sherman has returned for a new exhibition at Hauser & Wirth New York, with 30 new works playfully reconstructing the parameters of the face. Sherman uses her own features for the puzzle-like works, collaging the elements of her face to create brand-new characters. By inhabiting the role of both subject and artist, Sherman shifts the dynamic away from the traditional relationship with the sitter, sidestepping its discomfiting voyeurism.
In the clean works – Sherman has stripped back all external detailing, letting the heads take centre stage – the fictional subjects adopt the familiar expression of a sitter, their quiet endurance emphasised by the clearly inhuman contours of their faces. Sherman has left in the marks of collage, with the distortions revealing the hand-cutting and colouring of her methods, in a nod to the complicated nature of identity and the disparity between who we are and how we present ourselves.
Like her use of make-up, prosthetics and wigs, the digital manipulations here create new characters out of familiar forms – in this case her own – to illustrate the layers that go into an identity, the unsettling results of which are explored in these new works.
‘Cindy Sherman’, at Hauser & Wirth New York, from 18 January – 16 March 2024
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.
-
Loewe’s latest candles evoke scents of mushrooms and roasted hazelnuts
The Loewe ’Mushroom’ and ‘Roasted Hazelnut’ candles are new additions to the house’s wider range of fruit and vegetable-based home scents
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Moncler reaches new heights with blockbuster Grenoble show on the slopes of St Moritz
Wallpaper* heads to the snowy peaks of St Moritz for a Moncler Grenoble show which asserted the outerwear behemoth’s dominance over the slopes – with a fittingly star-studded guest list to match
By Jack Moss Published
-
Hermès Tressages Equestres weaves the Maison's iconic motifs on porcelain
The new Hermès Tressages Equestres collection features a distinctive braided motif that nods to the French Maison's history
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Cindy Sherman’s freaky new portrait collages dissect the divided self
We preview Cindy Sherman’s new portraits, on view at Hauser & Wirth Zurich during Zurich Art Weekend – which will see digitally manipulated collages explore the many facets of society
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
The changing faces of Cindy Sherman
At Fondation Louis Vuitton, a landmark retrospective looks back on 45 years of identity-probing work by American artist Cindy Sherman
By Fiona Mahon Last updated
-
Catherine Opie and Cindy Sherman make a cameo appearance in Venice
By Georgia Dehn Published
-
Meet the artists integrating themselves into their work at Pinault Collection
By TF Chan Last updated
-
Who should represent the US at the Venice Biennale?
By Vasili Kaliman Last updated
-
Dealer’s choice: architect Tom Croft on layering character into London’s Skarstedt gallery
By Emma O'Kelly Last updated
-
Caught on film: The Broad showcases 120 of Cindy Sherman's most cinematic works
By Charlotte Jansen Last updated
-
Picture perfect: Metro Pictures reveals new space with Cindy Sherman show
By Michael Slenske Last updated