Amateur Photographer – 30 August 2019

8 24 August 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113

Also out now

Thelatestandbestbooksandexhibitions

from the world of photography

TPGNewTalent

ThePhotographers’Gallery,London.Entry£5or

freefrom5pm.thephotographersgallery.org.uk

RecentlyThePhotographers’Gallery(TPG)invited

submissionsto‘NewTalent’,a newexhibitionand

mentoringschemeforup-and-comingphotographers.

AfteraninitialcullbyTPGcuratorsa finaleightwas

selectedbytheguestjudge,USartistJimGoldberg.

Youcanseetheworkof theluckyeightonthetop

floorof TPGuntil6 October.It’saneclecticmixof

work,fromtraditionalblack& whitedocumentary

worktocollagesand3Dinstallations.

RhiannonAdam’sBigFence/PitcairnIsland,

2015-2018,focusesonthedescendantsof thecrew

ofTheBounty, onPitcairnIsland,withportraitsset

againsta backdropof newspapercuttingsandmovie

stillsrelatingtothefamousmutiny.AliceMyersfound

herinspirationclosertohome,in theCalaismigrant

community,forNothingis ImpossibleUndertheSun,

whileMiguelProençafocusesonissuesof identity.

If youlikecontemporaryphotographyit’swortha

visit,butdon’texpecttoseeanythingthatwouldgo

down well at the average camera club.Nigel Atherton

© ALICE MYERS

Cindy Sherman

AttheNationalPortraitGallery,St Martin’sPlace,LondonWC2H0HE.Opendailyfrom 10am-6pm, Fridays until 9pm.

Entrance £18-£20.

T

hismajornewretrospectiveof

CindySherman’sworkincludes

thefirstUKpublicdisplayof her

famousseries,UntitledFilm

Stills,1977-80.Witharound 180 pieces

of workincluded,theexhibitionspans

Sherman’s40-yearcareer,rightupuntil

thepresentday.

Certainlynottoeveryone’stastes,

Shermanis neverthelessregardedasone

of theworld’sbestcontemporaryartists.

Shefirstcametopublicattentionwiththe

aforementionedseries,whichshestarted

shortlyaftermovingtoNewYorkin 1977.

TheseriescametodefineSherman’s

style, using herself as the model and

wearinga rangeof costumesand

hairstyles,theblack& whiteimages

aimedtorecreatethelookof 1950s

Hollywood,filmnoir,B moviesand

Europeanart-housefilms.

ComingnotlongaftertheNational

PortraitGallery’smajorMartinParr

retrospective,it’seasytoassumethat

manypeoplewillhavesimilarMarmite-

likefeelingstowardstheworkof Sherman.

However,withsucha wide-rangingset

of seriesondisplay,therewillsurelybe

somethinghereforeventhemost

scepticalof viewers.

There’stheCoverGirlseries,a playful

reimaginingofVoguemagazinecovers

createdwhileShermanwasstilla student,

aswellasshotsfromkeyworkslikeRear

ScreenProjections,Centrefolds,History

Portraits,FairyTales,Headshots,Clowns

andSocietyPortraits.

She’sfamousforusingcostumes,props

andprosthetics,andsomeof thoseareon

displayheretoo,togiveyouanideaof the

workandset-upbehindtheimage.

Weareexceptionallyluckyin theUK

thatmanyexhibitionsarefree,so

£18-£20canfeellikeanexpensiveprice

topay– butwithsomanyworksand

storiestoexplore,youcouldeasilyspend

severalhoursexaminingeachandevery

shot– youwon’tfeelshort-changed.

Seemoreinformation,including

a beginner’sguidetoSherman, at

npg.org.uk/CindySherman.

Amy Davies

UntitledFilmStills,

featuringSherman

in variousroles,

exploresfemale

stereotypes

BOOK

EXHIBITION

EXHIBITION

HowI TakePhotographs

ByDaidoMoriyamaandTakeshiNakamoto,

LaurenceKingPublishing,£14.99,208 pages,

paperback,ISBN 9781786274243

Moriyamastraddlesvariousgenres,

notablyblack& whitestreetand

documentary,butheis alsocategorised

asan‘art’photographer,withallthe

financialgainthatentails.Thislatestbook

onhimgivesa fascinatingglimpseinto

hiswayof working,butit turnsoutthere’snosecret

sauce.It’saboutgettingoutthereanddevelopingyour

visualsensethroughconstantpractice.

Heis a nativeof Osaka,a traditionallygarrulouscity

comparedtoTokyo,fullof hustlers,greatfoodand

direct(byJapanesestandards)locals.Thedown-to-

earthethosof hishometownshinesthroughin his

work,andasheexplains,he’sbeenpoundingthe

streetssincehewasa kid.Whatdriveshimis a desire

fortakingpictures,andthispassionis clearlyevident

in thistimelybook.Readit carefullybutthen get

out there.★★★★★Geoff Harris

Cindy Sherman Untitled Film Still #15, 1978

© CINDY SHERMAN. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND METRO PICTURES, NEW YORK

© CINDY SHERMAN. UNTITLED #74, 1980. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND METRO PICTURES NEW YORK