Cindy Sherman

[En anglais]

Five towering versions of Cindy Sherman, each sporting a lavish period costume, greeted viewers from the walls of the artist’s latest exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. The largest survey of her work to date, comprising over 170 photographs, seemed determined from its outset to transform Sherman — already one of the most recognizable faces in contemporary art — into a full-fledged mascot for postmodern photography. But what appeared to be a maneuver by the MoMA’s public relations team was, in fact, Sherman’s latest experiment in her ongoing practice of self-portraiture: a photographic mural designed specifically for the show (Untitled, 2010).

The larger-than-life Sherman ambassadors are indicative of two important shifts in the artist’s practice that the rest of the exhibition bears out: one that sees her increasingly engage with the grander scales and lush colours now characteristic of contemporary fine art photography; and another that sees her move from playing bit parts to taking on the role of leading lady (or man) in her images.