Narrator

Welcome to Cindy Sherman, a retrospective of the artist’s work from the mid-1970s to the present. Sherman’s provocative exploration of contemporary identity through meticulously constructed characters and staged tableaus has made her one of the most influential artists working today.

Here, Sherman describes her own fascination with dressing up for the camera.

Cindy Sherman archival audio

I don’t know if it was therapeutic, or out of boredom, or just my own fascination with thinking about makeup in the mid-70’s when women aren’t supposed to wear makeup. You’re supposed to be all au natural, and yet, I still had this love for it, but it was, secret, I wasn’t supposed to like it. So, I would just play around and turn into a character in my bedroom.

Narrator

Throughout the tour, you’ll hear more from Sherman, with recordings drawn from a 2011 interview conducted at her studio for the exhibition catalogue. You’ll also hear from the organizers of the exhibition: Eva Respini, Associate Curator in the Department of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art, New York and Lucy Gallun, Curatorial Assistant in the Department of Photography at MoMA.