Written by: Lloyd Copper

Category: Arts

Published: 26 May 2016

If the idiom ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ is to be believed, then Cindy Sherman has said a hell of a lot over the last four decades.

Her avant-garde photos of herself, both as photographer and subject are held in an esteem all over the world. Now she’s older, bolder and ready to display her wares at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane.

GOMA curator Ellie Buttrose is more than a little excited about the artist’s first Australian solo exhibition in 15 years.

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“It’s well known that Cindy doesn’t talk about what she’s making when she’s creating new work,” Ellie says. “Even her main assistant doesn’t know what photographs she’s working on. We were thrilled when we saw her new photographs. They’re so elegant and she’s used a new process and a new camera. They have this amazing depth of colour, this amazing finish and our exhibition tracks her engagement with digital technologies.”

Cindy is indeed iconic. Her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ she put together in the final years of the '70s introduced herself in a series of characters from B-grade girls to wartime nurse to making a mockery of pin-up girls. But was she making a mockery?

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“She’s not didactic about what she thinks,” Ellie says. “She’s always on a knife's edge. I think why she remains relevant is because she doesn’t tell the viewer what to think. It’s up to them to decide whether it’s beautiful or ugly.”

The works will be shown for the first time outside of New York. So it’s kind of a big deal. Discussions have been in the works for years with Cindy, who hasn’t graced Australian shores since 1999 and is still fiercely secretive of her work.

“She’s such a master of the masquerade. It often takes people a while to realise it’s all her, if they’re not familiar with her work. She’s interested in exploring character types. It’s about what and why people are striving to be and whether they’ve made it. It’s the aspirational self, versus the real self. And I think that’s something everyone can relate to.”
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The '80s and '90s marked a change for Cindy. She continued to take photographs but she no longer appeared as the model. The stresses of being in the big league of cutting edge art had taken their toll and Ellie says Cindy needed to step back.

“She had reached such heights in her practice. She talks about how there were these expectations. No one wants to be known for doing the same thing over and over again. She wanted to explore the possibilities.

“She’s a people watcher. There’s an empathetic nature to her work but also a sense of humour about life. In her collaborations with the fashion industry, she talks about how she wanted to create ugly photographs and there’s something compelling about that idea. You emphasise with her characters that are often failing in small ways.”

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To complement the dazzling works that will be on display – including a massive mural and tributes to '20s cinema – there will be hard-hitting all female musicians to add to the mood. June will see GOMA rocking out to the sound of Eleanor Friedberger, direct from the US and no doubt playing tracks from her latest album ‘New View’. Brisbane locals the Major Leagues will also be appearing later in the month.

Triple J favourite Mojo Juju will welcome July in, while September will have a smorgasbord of folk, poetry, rock and a mixture of just about everything including: Kimya Dawson, whose music featured in the classic ‘Juno’ film; hip hop Sampa The Great; Jess Ribeiro and Teeth & Tongue. The strong female representation is something that Cindy Sherman has been championing for decades.

“Cindy has been such an icon for feminists,” Ellie says. “She’s been such a supporter of female artists and has often been quite controversial. These works are not separate from life and the world they’re very much a part of our everyday experience so it’s great to see people come in, see some really great bands and see the work as well.”

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Speaking of feminism. “There are all these discussions about the kind of social media selfie culture and what that means in terms of feminism and Cindy touches on that in her practice. It’s her first time using Photoshop. There's much more emphasis on the background whereas previously it had been about the figure.

“As she has continued to work, you see her body ageing. It’s hot in discussion about older women in the media. Cindy’s addressing that in her photography.

“Cindy Sherman is looking to women of that certain age and seeing the beauty in them and seeing the way the life that has been lived has contributed to that beauty. The fact that we’re discussing these issues, the fact that Cindy is making this work, shows how much things have changed.”