Cindy Sherman

CINDY SHERMAN
APRIL 18 - MAY 16, 1998

In this work from 1986 to 1989 Cindy Sherman effectively removes herself from her photographs. Only traces of a figure remain in the form of dismembered body parts strewn across bug-infested dirt, eyes reflected in a make-up mirror amidst the detritus of a dump site, a face composed of a mass of gooey, melting candy. The figure disappears entirely in a nearly-abstract series depicting rotting regurgitated food, shards of broken plates and scattered silverware. This group of large abstract images was included in the 1991 "Metropolis" exhibition in Berlin but has never been shown in New York.

The contrast between the beauty of the color and composition, and the unsavory substances used is typical of Sherman's overall subversive tack. The appearance of seemingly harmless, verging on decorative, scenes is quickly dispelled by the work's discomfiting allusion to far less "normal" occurrences. In her recent feature film "Office Killer," referencing the horror genre, Sherman made explicit use of grotesquely funny slimy substances close in spirit to these photographs.

Sherman's work is currently the subject of a large retrospective exhibition organized by MOCA-Los Angeles and MCA-Chicago that will also travel to numerous European venues. One of the most admired and influential artists of her generation, Sherman's work is represented in numerous major museum collections including The Museum of Modern Art in New York which acquired a complete set of her "Untitled Film Stills" in 1996. The recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship in 1995, Sherman lives and works in New York City.