woop.

I went to the Cindy Sherman exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of modern art. 

I have never really known much about her as an artist but was intrigued so went along. 

Cindy is a photographer and film maker from New York whose main subject of her work is to portray the role of women in society and the media. 

She uses herself in many of her photographs dresssed up with makeup an prosthetics to alter how she looks and become a new character. 

One of the first things I saw of her work were some collages she had done in 1976 which would show her transforming from her normal self into a new character. It was a lovely way, I thought, to show movement. I couldn't take photos inside the exhibition, nor could I find any examples of her collages on the internet, but below is a still from her short film 'Doll House' which sort of demonstrates her collage medium. 

In 1981 she did a collection of photographs called 'Centerfolds', in which she tried to encapsulate both photographer [stereotypically male] and the female model.

The images were rather uncomfortable to look at and presented the antithesis of a conventional center fold. 
A lot of the images reminded of female protaganists in horror films.

Horror and disturbing scenes seemed to be a common theme in many of her works including those from the 1980s to the 1990s, where make up, props and clothing were used to create a facade for the underlying emotions that lay beneath.

Despite all the of the 'get-up' in each photo that she puts herself in, little elements of Cindy still show through. I thought that perhaps the portraits each had bits of what she wants/wanted to be (eg. social status, youthfulness etc.)

Many of her works are pretty amusing but all contain serious connotations within. 

I am not how much I like her work visually I did not find it that pleasing with the exception of her collages and a couple of her short films. All in all it was a bit to over the top for me and a bit to uncomfortable to look at but I admire her for the messages she tries to convey through her art.