Cindy Sherman, National Portrait Gallery - ★★★★ - Until September 15, 2019


Cindy Sherman's work explores the relationship between image and identity. The artist becomes her own subject, but only as she assumes the identities of others and employs the stock imagery of a wide variety of sources, from film and fashion magazines to the old masters and fairy tales. She simultaneously inhabits and hides behind a collection of fictional characters, hinting at narratives suggested by the evocative roles she assumes. Her transformations are beautifully rendered and provoke questions about what constitutes identity and how its perception is influenced by our reading of external signifiers. This is an exhibition which should have a wide appeal as it engages some of the major questions of the celebrity-soaked society we currently exist in and asks us to look at the construction of our own presence. The National Portrait Gallery has given us a comprehensive look at the work of an artist for our times.

 Reviewed by J.C.

 Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆ 

WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until September 15, 2019
Daily: 10 am - 6 pm.  Friday until 9 pm
National Portrait Gallery
Map & Location: St. Martin's Pl, Charing Cross, London WC2H 0HE, UK

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