Cindy Sherman, in full Cynthia Morris Sherman, (born January 19, 1954, Glen Ridge, New Jersey, U.S.), American photographer known for her images—particularly her elaborately “disguised” self-portraits—that comment on social role-playing.
Sherman grew up on Long Island, New York. In 1972 she enrolled at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo and majored in painting, later switching her major to photography. She graduated from SUNY in 1976 and in 1977 began work on Untitled Film Stills (1977–80), one of her best-known series. The series of 8 × 10-inch black-and-white photographs featuring Sherman in a variety of roles is reminiscent of film noir.
Sherman stated that the series was “about the fakeness of role-playing as well as contempt for the domineering ‘male’ audience . She continued to be the model in her photographs, donning wigs and costumes that evoke images from the realms of advertising, television, film, and fashion and that, in turn, challenge the cultural stereotypes supported by these media.
During the 1980s Sherman began to use colour film, to exhibit very large prints, and to concentrate more on lighting and facial expression. Using liberal amounts of makeup, Sherman moved into the realm of the grotesque and the sinister with photographs that featured mutilated bodies and reflected such concerns as eating disorders, insanity, and death. Her work became less ambiguous, focusing perhaps more on the results of society’s acceptance of stereotypedroles for women than upon the roles themselves.
Sources
Conceptual Art and Fashion in the 21st Century by Shirin Abedinirad
www.britannica.com
www.biograohy.com
www.m.theartstory.org