Everyone thinks these are self-portraits but they aren't meant to be. I just use myself as a model because I know I can push myself to extremes, make each shot as ugly or goofy or silly as possible.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the idea that the artist uses their own image not for self-representation, but as a tool for exploring extreme expressions and emotions.
Cindy Sherman emphasizes that her artwork, often perceived as self-portraits, is not solely about portraying herself. Instead, she uses her own likeness as a medium to explore various themes and push boundaries, allowing her to portray exaggerated, humorous, or unconventional aspects of identity and society.
In practice
In a discussion about contemporary art, I could use this quote to illustrate the unconventional approaches artists take in self-representation.
I like making images that from a distance seem kind of seductive, colorful, luscious and engaging, and then you realize what you're looking at is something totally opposite. It seems boring to me to pursue the typical idea of beauty, because that is the easiest and the most obvious way to see the world. It's more challenging to look at the other side.
I wanted pretty pictures of older women - women who are trying too hard but succeeding - pulling off an extreme look. What I didn't know would creep into the portraits was a vulnerability behind the strong facade that most of them wear.
People think because it's photography it's not worth as much, and because it's a woman artist, you're still not getting as much - there's still definitely that happening. I'm still really competitive when it comes to, I guess, the male painters and male artists. I still think that's really unfair.
Martial arts, like any art, is an unrestricted athletic expression of an individual soul.
A lot of people don't realize, when you are acting in a martial arts film, you're not just performing martial arts. You're not just performing martial arts. You're actually acting as much as any other actor.
I've never written a song in my life. It's all a big hoax.
I'm a conductor of revivals. The only minister in the whole package. Little Richard, the evangelist.
All the arts are based on the presence of man, only photography derives an advantage from his absence. Photography affects us like a phenomenon in nature, like a flower or a snowflake whose vegetable or earthly origins are an inseparable part of their beauty.
I'm interested in designing for posterity.
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