Cindy Sherman: Crossover Series

Cindy Sherman received an MFA from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1976, where she studied photography. During this time she was also involved with HallWalls, an alternative gallery space in Buffalo. She is best known for her black and white Untitled Film Stills, which she made in the late 70s and early 80s. In carefully designed settings, Sherman placed herself, using costumes, wigs, and makeup, in various scenarios suggetive of B-movies from the 1950s. These tableaux touch on feminist theories of representation and body politics, though their mysterious quality allowed differing interpretations based on the perceived irony in the work. The shifting, changeable self that Sherman presented was closely allied with performance art, and influenced much of postmodern art production to come. Sherman's later photographic series, generally in large, color formats, included themes of pornography, Old Masters, and fairy-tales. In this tape, Sherman has assumed both roles as artist and interviewer.

This title is also available on Crossover Series.