Photography can serve as a mirror reflecting the identity of what's standing in front of the lens or, in some cases, give a whole new shape to it. Few artists have twisted that reflection quite like Yasumasa Morimura and Cindy Sherman. Brought together for the first time in a two-person exhibition open until May 5, Yasumasa Morimura and Cindy Sherman: Masquerades, at Hong Kong’s M+, the two visionary and revolutionary artists explore themes of identity, cultural representation, and the power of transformation through staged photography. Their works, spanning decades, challenge the idea of self-image, subverting societal norms with a blend of satire, homage, and performance, representing a critical visual language that has shaped the cultural speech and the aesthetic codes of recent history.
The topic of masks and masquerade and what it entails is a notion that has shaped the trajectory of these two artists. We saw a good portrayal of it in the Cindy Sherman Retrospective at the Fomu Museum in Antwerp last fall, and this curation represents a further exploration of this concept, with the enrichment that the presence of Morimura’s work means and the whole new meanings birthed from the collision of these two different but very similar worlds. The exhibition features four suites of images, two for each name, which range from whimsical to darkly satirical, that question gender and cultural conventions.
On Cindy Sherman’s side, The Centerfolds (1981) is undoubtedly one of the highlights, featuring a selection of seven of the twelve cinematic self-portraits that reimagine the format of 20th-century erotic magazine centrefolds. Originally commissioned by Artforum, these staged photographs subvert the male gaze, presenting Sherman’s self-portraits as fragile, anxious, and emotionally charged figures defying the ethics of looking. Her Untitled Film Stills (1977–1980) continue this critique, parodying archetypal female roles from film noir and Hollywood B-movies. In both series, Sherman reclaims the female subject from objectification, forcing the viewer to reconsider the obsolete ideas our society has constructed around women and their bodies.
Meanwhile, Morimura’s One Hundred M’s Self-portraits (1993–2000) take the act of transformation to an extreme, as the artist meticulously reconstructs himself into an array of historical and pop culture figures—from Marilyn Monroe to Madonna and even Sherman herself. The self-aware theatricality of his images blends homage with critique, questioning the fluidity of identity, particularly in relation to Japan’s historical struggle with Western influence. His Doublonnage series (1987–1988) takes a similarly playful yet pointed approach, as he morphs into figures such as Saint John the Baptist and Marcel Duchamp’s Rrose Sélavy, revealing the performative nature of identity itself and defying his very own idea of what masquerading can be.
About the exhibition and the act of featuring the two artists work together, creating a conversation between creative views, the M+ Museum Director Suhanya Raffel says, “Masquerades aligns with M+’s vision to push the boundaries of contemporary visual culture, fostering cross-cultural dialogue between two iconic artists.” Morimura himself acknowledges the resonance of this pairing, stating, “It is a remarkable opportunity to be exhibited alongside Cindy Sherman at M+ in Hong Kong. Our artistic approaches, while distinct, challenge notions of identity and representation,” while Sherman says she looks forward to seeing how audiences in Hong Kong will interpret their works.
