Presenters
Abstract
In spite of the self-described ambiguity of Cindy Sherman’s work, theorists and critics alike have sought to situate her Untitled Film Stills and Untitled collections on either side of the gender divide. Some have claimed her works cater to and even embrace the voyeuristic lens of the male gaze; others label her work with a more feminist moniker, claiming it is made for female consumption, showering praise for her critique of stereotypically reductive tropes surrounding the female experience. While neither camp is wholly wrong, relegating Sherman’s work to one side of a binary debate is discouragingly reductive. One thing, however, is certain: the images of Cindy Sherman are undeniably postmodern, their oscillation in interpretation, which is central to their functionality, is also a foundational tenant in postmodern art, as are the elements of pastiche and reflexivity, all of which serve the role of key in unlocking a Sherman. Through exploring a tripartite of theoretically interpretive avenues and thorough readings of three of Sherman’s Untitled photographs, I aim to demonstrate that destabilization itself is Sherman’s oeuvre, making her early body of work enigmatic and timeless, their meanings winding and unwinding in an act of endless circular oscillation, unveiling similitudes connecting the images, the performative nature of being, and the idea of “femininity” itself.