Clockwisefromleft:
Untitled#577, 2016–
2018;UntitledFilm
Still#54, 1980;
Untitled#92, 1981;
Untitled #466, 2008.ARTWORK THROUGHOUT COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND METRO PICTURES, NEW YORK; COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM/@CINDYSHERMAN
1990s,enjoyingthefreedomthata digitalcameragave
hertochangebackgroundsormakeothersubtleadjust-
ments,butherenthusiasticforayintoInstagramcame
as a surprisetoeveryone.Since2017,shehasdelighted
herfollowers(now264,000andcounting)witha series
ofbizarreandimaginativeInsta-portraitsinwhichshe
usesappssuchas Facetuneto distortherfeaturesbeyond
recognition:inoneshot,sheappearsina hospitalset-
tingwithoxygentubesuphernostrils;inanother,her
lips,eyesandbrowsareturneda ghoulishblack.Though
Shermanherselfdismissestheseimagesas“justa bitof
fun”,it is hardnotto grantthemsomesignificancein the
contextofherbackcatalogue,whicheffectivelyprophe-
siedourmodernobsessionwithself-representation,and
allthedeceptionthatentails.Asforthephenomenon of
theselfie,Shermanprofessesto bemystified
byitspopularity—“Idon’tthinkthecell
phoneis actuallyveryflatteringfortheface”
— andhas concernsabouttheimpact of
facialfilteringonwomengrowinguptoday.
“I’vereadaboutyoungpeoplegettingplas-
ticsurgeryto tryto lookmoreliketheselfies
theypost,”shesays.“That’sa littlescary.”
Thisis about ascloseasSherman will
cometo spellingoutthesocialcritiquethat
is implicitinsomuchofherphotography.
“Imean,I’mnotworkingjustblindly—
I’m definitely aware of the things I’m
addressing,”she says.“ButI prefertolet
theworkbetheadvocateI’mnot,because
I don’t feel I’m that articulate when it
comestostandingupandmakingdeclara-
tionsorwritingthingsonInstagram.”The
same goes for her brand of feminism,
whichis verymuchaboutshowingrather
thantelling.“I’dratherexpresshowI feel
in this subtle, sneaking-in-from-behind
way than by hammering a messageover
someone’shead,”sheexplains.
Likemostwomenartists,Shermanhasexperiencedthefrustra-
tion of commanding lower prices than her male counterparts
(“I’mverywellrespectednow,andyetI stillnoticethatin auctions
theguysaresellingmore”),buthasnointentionofgivingupthe
fight.Forherlatestproject,a collaborationwithStellaMcCartney,
shehasdeliberatelyblurredthelinesbetweengendersbydressing
up in a fluid combination of pieces fromthefashion designer’smenswearandwomenswearcollections,
selectedfromacrossmultipleseasonsto
create a sense of timelessness. “The
worksthatshe’sproducedareastonish-
ing,” McCartneysays.“Theyfeelfresh,
modernanda newdirectionforher.”
AsforwhichdirectionShermanwill
takenext, thepossibilitiesareendless.
Sheis currentlyponderinga projectthat
wouldseehertransformherInstagram
photosintoa physicaltapestry(“Ilove
theideaoftheweaveas itsownkindof
pixellation”), as well as exploring the
idea of returning to filmmaking —
something she hasn’t done since she
directedthecomedy-horrorflickOffice
Killerin 1997. “At a certain point, I
tendtogetboredbecauseI feellikeI’mjustrepeatingthesameold
things,”shesays,“butthenI’lldiscoversomethingdifferenttotry,
whichis alwaysfun.”Morethanthatshewon’treveal,whichper-
hapsshouldn’tcomeasa surprise.Afterall,if there’sonething
CindyShermanis goodat,it’skeepingusguessing.
‘CindySherman’is at London’s National Portrait Gallery until
September 15; npg.org.uk.“Ireallydon’tthinkof
myselfasbeinginany
of the photographs.”
199 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU September 2019