CINDY SHERMAN. That’s me – That’s not me. Early work 1975-1977

THE THREE PHASES OF THE EARLY WORK

Sherman initially begins with the portrait. Through the differentiated use of make-up and mimicry, a number of image sequences showing her face in transformation are produced in 1975. The series illustrates the development from girl to young woman and focuses on the process of adolescence. After the portraits begins Sherman’s second phase, in which she uses her whole body and gets involved in the game of transformation through mimicry, gesture, pose, clothing, wigs and make-up. She photographs herself in different poses, roles and identifies and cuts the designed figures out of the photographic paper (cut-out), which gives rise to the film Doll Clothes (1975) and the cut-out works Fairies, Mini, The Mask and The Giant (all 1976). In the third phase of her early work, Sherman allows the different figures to interact, as in the cut-out series A Play of Selves, Bus Riders and Murder Mystery (all 1976). Around 50 of her works, which the VERBUND COLLECTION has purchased on a regular basis since its founding in 2004, were on display in the Vertical Gallery at VERBUND head office.

Photos: © Karl Kühn