Text and images by Oman Morí

Copy edited by Melis Ozdemir

Dissecting herself through photography, collages, and digital manipulation, renowned American artist Cindy Sherman unravels the complex layers of self-portraiture in her captivating new exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Gallery in Zurich. With an artistic career spanning decades, Sherman has focused on challenging conventional norms and societal roles, using her image to explore the intricacies of modern identity. More recently, she has explored the power of digital art to playfully deconstruct societal personas in a whimsical and, at times, grotesque way. With an aversion to traditional notions of beauty, she proclaimed, “I’m disgusted with how people get themselves to look beautiful; I’m much more fascinated with the other side.” back in 1986.

In this latest exhibition, Sherman delves into the capabilities of digital art and collage techniques to craft a surreal narrative of uncanny alter egos, a realm where self-representation becomes fragmented and theatrical. Her own face acts as the mosaic pieces, with her nose, skin, ears, and hair forming a puzzle that differentiates itself from her previous cinematic photo montages adorned with props and scenarios. Instead, she presents a haunting collection of altered self-portraits, wherein her features morph into uncanny and unsettling grimaces, juxtaposed in a mix of black and white and color photography.

As the curator and critic Gabriele Schor writes, “Sherman’s complex analysis of her face and her subtle employment of expression indicates that the working method of making up and costuming the self enables two processes: an intuitive and fluid process motivated by curiosity, and an intended process whose stimulus is conceptual and which has a ‘subject matter’.” Sherman captures the essence of these enigmatic characters, inviting viewers to connect with non-existent beings, each a mirror reflecting a facet of our humanity. While these seemingly classical portraits beg for individual interpretation, Sherman does not attempt to hide the techniques employed in her craft. By intentionally exposing the manipulation involved in her artwork, she avoids any sense of illusion, making a powerful statement about the artifice that often underlies the portrayal of the self in the digital age.