Untitled #417 [Clowns]

The figure of the clown can be found in Sherman’s early works. In her Clowns series (2003/04), she dealt extensively with this highly symbolic character and its ambivalent masquerade. The clown functions as a symptomatic character for Sherman’s artistic strategy; as a distillation of the different dimensions found exclusively in her works. Here, Sherman has developed a wide range of different clowns, from the melancholy Pierrot to the funny Auguste to the scary clown. These close-up, larger-than-life images primarily raise the question as to what elements of a personality located between a superficial mask and a brightly colored background can actually be seen.