The Self

        For my second project, I decided to emulate Cindy Sherman, and Mariko Mori. Both artists bring elements of the self into their conceptual work. In both Mori and Sherman’s work they critique elements of our society. In Sherman’s work, she exposes the ways in which we treasure and value our own aesthetic and superficial idea of the self. Mori’s work compares the self with the eternality of the universe, and life’s continuous movement. By emulating these artists, I was able to find my own voice within their powerful artistic expressions and bring forward a modern take on societal issues regarding the self.

        In Sherman’s photograph I emulated, she put the spotlight on the importance society places on beauty and perfection for women. The beginning of Sherman’s most famous work began in 1977, when she began her project titled “Untitled Film Stills” in which she emulated stereotypical images and perceptions of women, (1). 

"Goo-goo eyes" by Cindy Sherman, August 22nd 2017

source

My Emulation

Because Sherman criticized the way we praise being beautiful, it made me want to create my own image mocking beauty standards. I created an image that looked doll-like, similar to Sherman’s princess-like selfie, in order to make me look less human, and more objectified. The stressed importance of physical beauty is a destructive force in women’s lives, and being able to mock it gives us back the power.

In Mariko Mori’s image titled, “Mirror of Water” she compared the human life to the ever-continuing circle of life by juxtaposing repetitions of herself with the ancient nature of naturally-occurring caves, (2). The self is a present motif in Mori’s work, and I wanted to use the idea of the self in my emulation. I was able to make it more present, by critiquing the way young women are perceived by men their age. 

"Mirror of Water" by Mariko Mori, 1996-1998 

My Emulation

There have been times when men are overly engaging after they saw me when I thought of myself as beautiful. Often, men think of a woman’s time spent looking nice as an invitation for excessive and often inappropriate flattery. I created an image that duplicated “selfies” of mine that I feel most conventionally attractive, thus commenting on the “male gaze” I’ve personally experienced and it’s repetitive nature. I used a background of a natural cave I explored, to relate the beauty of women to a natural and powerful force.

Works Cited

MoMA. “Cindy Sherman.” MoMA | Cindy Sherman | Gallery 2,

www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2012/cindysherman/gallery/2/mobile.php.

“UK010106, Mariko Mori.” Phillips, 2006,

www.phillips.com/detail/MARIKO-MORI/UK010106/37.