The camera acts as a proxy for consciousness: observing, distilling, and recording fragments of time for futures to come. Awareness of its presence often creates a schism on the person being photographed — a heightened awareness and sense of self-regard that make prompt posturing and performance, a desire to take on a persona and act the part. We wish to be as we appear, rather than appear as we are, hoping that expression and body language will convey our aspirations or indifference those who may later gaze upon our visage.
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Throughout her career, Cindy Sherman has used the portrait as a space for reinvention of the self, taking on new characters as an actor would take on roles, submerging herself inside a series of curious, quirky, and unsettling facades. For more than 40 years, Sherman has conducted a fascinating masquerade, using photography to ensnare and unravel the complex relationships between the camera and the self.
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