Shimmering as the light reflects off of their variegated surfaces, Cindy Sherman’s tapestries immediately dazzle the eye with their textures and intricate technique. Like their inspirations from the 15th and 16th centuries, they impose with their scale, reaching nearly ten feet in height. Take a step back, however, and the figures depicted in the weavings appear mildly ridiculous. With features stretched or warped, their bodies and backgrounds appliquéd with sparkly flowers and golden hearts or bedecked in absurdly donned props, these figures form a jarring contrast with the exalted and aristocratic medium in which they are rendered.
Cindy Sherman: Tapestries. Metro Pictures
Untitled #621, 2020.