The metamorphoses of Cindy Sherman knows no boundaries, so it makes sense that an exhibition honouring her work is in a place as vast and all-encompassing as the Museum of Modern Art gallery in New York.

Looking back at her three decades and counting career, the just opened showcase contains over 170 of Sherman’s iconic pieces and portraits, witnessing her take on roles from cinema noir actress to Jean Fouquet’s Madonna of Melun. But Sherman’s countless transformations are beyond pure dress up and trying on a new persona; they are a deep questioning of identity, representation and the role and placement of women in society.

Rather than being solely retrospective, the exhibit is also the first showing of Sherman’s photographic murals from 2010 in America, as well as Carte Blanche: Cindy Sherman, a screening of films made and curated by the conceptual artist, which is fitting considering the strong influence of the medium on her work. The movies will range from horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to John Waters’ Desperate Living, whilst including Sherman’s short film Doll Clothes and feature film Office Killer.

The extensive display of her work shows that even under wigs, prosthetics and layers of makeup, the real Cindy Sherman is always unmistakably there.

Cindy Sherman is on display until June 11 at The Joan and Preston Robert Tisch Exhibition Gallery, MoMA, 11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019
moma.org

Tags: Cindy Sherman, exhibition, film, John Waters, MOMA, photography

Ever since the likes of Salvador Dali and René Magritte began blurring the lines between the worlds of fantasy and reality, the creative arts have had a special relationship with surrealism.

Opening today, the Mythologies exhibition at Rivington Design house, curated by Marlo Kronberg and Christine Bílý, continues to explore this correlation through photography, sculpture and film. Featuring the work of artists Bek Andersen, Wendy Bevan, Stefan Milev, Jordan Sullivan, and Paulina Otylie Surys, the group show aims to explore a muse that exists in this duality of fantasy and reality, ancientness and modernism, masculinity and feminism.

Twin spoke to photographer Paulina Otylie Surys on the eve of the exhibition’s opening about the power of artistic collaborations, her muses and surrealism in the arts…

How would you describe your photography work in a few words?
An expression of the most precious thoughts of a moment. The pursuit of old traditional techniques and a never ending experiment, a quest for perfection in the craft.

How does it feel to be exhibiting in a show of such diverse artistic talent?
When Marlo Kronberg, the curator of the Mythologies exhibition,  approached me,  I really liked the idea of the show. I also admire a lot the other artists who are participating  in the project together with me, I think that their works are great, really powerful. I appreciate any form of great art, all the artists in the exhibition have a similar sublime vibe of reverie. I believe it is going to be a really beautiful event.

The theme of the exhibition is magic realism. What does the term mean to you in regards to your work?
I really enjoy creating surreal and unique situations in my works—merging the world of reality with that of imagination, illusion and hallucination. I have always been a big fan of the Lo Real Maravilloso [meaning marvelous reality in Spanish, the term was first coined by Alejo Carpentier in his 1949 novel The Kingdom Of This World] motif in film, literature and art.

The exhibit also explores the idea of paying tribute to the spirit of the muse in the ancient sense. Who or what is your muse?
I have been exposed to fine literature, films and paintings since I was a child. My mother would take care of these matters, it would always be a very important part of our life, so I was already attending operas and theatre at a young age. Even our home in Poland is filled up with books, we had to transfer the less precious ones to the basement because they literally filled up every inch of free space.

Looking towards the future, what projects do you have lined up?
I am having an exhibition in London around April courtesy of Supperclub London. I will probably exhibit in Greece soon too, as I am doing a collaboration with an amazing artist, Pascale Pollier. I am also shooting for my monographic album which will be launched during PARIS PHOTO in November, where I will be showing my works in a group exhibition, but I will unveil more details about that within the next few months…

Mythologies opens today at Rivington Design House, 129 Rivington St., New York, N.Y. 10002.
rivingtondesignhouse.com / paulinasurys.co.uk / bekandersen.com
wendybevan.com / stefanmilev.com / jordan-sullivan.com

Tags: Bek Andersen, Christine Bílý, exhibition, film, Jordan Sullivan, Marlo Kronberg, new york, Paulina Otylie Surys, photography, René Magritte, Rivington Design House, Salvador Dali, sculpture, Stefan Milev, Surrealism, Wendy Bevan

From Edith Head’s designs for Tippi Hedren in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds to Audrey Tautou portraying one of the 20th century’s most revolutionary couturiers in Coco Before Chanel, fashion and film have enjoyed a well-documented and fascinating relationship.

On screen, clothing embodies the unscripted role of sculpting characters – would Cruella De Vil be as villainous without her floor-length fur coats? Clothes create unforgettable moments such as Audrey Hepburn in a Givenchy little black dress outside Tiffany’s, adding to the aesthetic vision of a director – could one imagine Margot Tenenbaum in anything but her heavy eyeliner and preppy polo dresses?

Creative arts platform Test’s series of monthly film screenings and talks mark an intriguing new chapter in the genre. Accompanied by an introduction and Q&A with designer Roksanda Ilincic, the latest motion picture up for discussion will be Liliana Cavani’s The Night Porter starring Charlotte Rampling and Dirk Bogarde.

More than simply a night of stylish cinema, the event is a testament to the lasting power and iconicity of fashion in film.

Test Presents…The Night Porter Introduced By Roksanda Ilincic takes place at Town Hall Hotel & Apartments, Patriot Square, London E2 9NF on December 13 at 7:00 pm.

testmag.co.uk
townhallhotel.com

Tags: A Shaded View On Fashion Film Festival, Charlotte Rampling, Dirk Bogarde, Fashion, film, Gareth Pugh, Liliana Cavani, Roksanda Ilincic, Ruth Hogben, test, The Night Porter

When Kathryn Bigelow won a bevy of awards including two Oscars for her 2008 film Hurt Locker she made history as the first woman to ever be named best director. That said, three years on the fact remains that women are still marginalised, not to mention underrepresented and oversexualised in cinema.

UnderWire plans to change that. As the UK’s only short film festival dedicated to showcasing women’s work it already has the support of such seminal female creatives as Laura Mulvey, author of Visual and Other Pleasures, Fetishism and Curioisity, journalist Samira Ahmed and Nira Park, producer of Scott Pilgrim v the World and Attack the Block. Established by Gabriella Apicella and Gemma Mitchell in 2010, co-directors of UnderWire 2011 Mitchell and Helen Jack hope to recognise women’s talents through awards, open up the dialogue about women in film and, ultimately, readdress the gender balance within the UK industry.

Comes But Once a Year, dir Justine Barker
(Top) Prohyb, dir Katarina Complova

UnderWire 2011 is at Shortwave cinema and Bermondsey Square Hotel from 23rd – 26th November 2011. See the full programme here

Tags: Bermondsey Square Hotel, Cinema, film, Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow, Laura Mulvey, Shortwave cinema, Underwire film festival

The French artist, photographer and activist known as JR has created Women Are Heroes in a tribute to the bravery of those in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Phnom Penh, Delhi, and Kenya.

Known for his guerilla style, public photo exhibitions such as Portrait Of A Generation and Face 2 Face, the 2011 TED Prize winner spent three years crafting the documentary, the third part in his 28 Millimètres series. The result is a film which is an emotional tour de force, confronting its viewer with the hard-hitting reality of violence, war, poverty and oppression women around the world face every day. But far from viewing his subjects as victims of their environment, JR portrays a group of individuals who are not only fearless, but also optimists of change.

By mounting large-scale portraits of them on public buildings in France, Brazil, Cambodia, India, and Kenya, he proves that the women living their life in the danger zone are not just heroes. They are a poignant reminder that strength, and happiness, can be found in even the darkest of places.

jr-art.net
womenareheroes.be

Tags: film, JR, photography, TED, Women Are Heroes

NOWNESS, ‘luxury lifestyle online’, today unveiled an exclusive fashion film entitled ‘Chronology’. In collaboration with Net-A-Porter, the film, by I Am Love director Luca Guadagnino, features highlights from the Autumn Winter 2010 collections of such Net-A-Porter bestsellers as Christopher Kane, Sigerson Morrison, Miu Miu and Yves Saint Laurent. Styled by Cathy Edwards and modeled by MariaCarla Boscono, the film combines commercial sense, a sharp edit and a dreamlike surrealism which is evocative of 2005 feature film Mirrormask.

www.nowness.com

Tags: Fashion, film, Katie Rose, Luca Guadagnino, Net-A-Porter, Nowness, twin, Twinfactory

Few actors have consistently provoked like Samantha Morton. On-screen we’ve seen her skip town for Spain after her boyfriend’s sucide in ‘Morvern Callar’, get everyone talking as Sean Penn’s mute lover in ‘Sweet and Lowdown’ and even take on Marilyn Monroe in ‘Mister Lonely’.

Morton’s ability to mesmerise and disconcert is no less powerful in her 1997 debut ‘Under the Skin’. Here she plumbs promiscuity, masochism and rage as Iris – a young woman who tries to overcome her grief at the sudden loss of her mother through casual sex – pushing her relationship with her sister to the limits. The ICA are screening ‘Under the Skin’ this weekend. It’s well worth a revisit.

www.ica.org.uk

Tags: film, ICA, Samantha Morton, Sweet and Lowdown, Under the Skin

Turns out that it was’t actually, well, you know, it.

More a case of, This Isn’t It but here’s a little something to keep them all in a glove-brandishing, tear-stained collective catharsis for just that little bit longer. But of course, ‘It’ is for the fans and that gives us all licence to speak entirely in vapid cliche for, like, ever.

Those of us fortunate enough to have been invited to the premiere weren’t just given the usual run-of-the-mill chance to get all spangled up to watch a movie; no, we were there to offer support. Now this, I’m sure you will agree, is infinitely more promising.

And challenging. It’s saying something by dressing up and turning up. A whole new perspective. So totally my kind of night.

And you can imagine the conundrum. For us. Showing Support. I mean, the smile-to-pout ratio had to be seriously calculated beforehand. But what to wear? Now that really is it, so to speak.

I think I just about managed to get the balance right. I had a few throw-back eighties touches to a largely black-on-black outfit. The dress said demure, not wanting too much attention on myself, while highlighting my frankly fantastic breasts. While I did smile I think I also managed to pull off thoughtful and maybe even hints of sadness, but not too sad.

I need the fans to know I appreciate, I really do, the chance to publicly show support.

They looked so happy. The fans. Delirious. Like we were all part of something. Together. It was almost emotional. See what I mean about the vapid cliche? It’s impossible to entirely throw off its cashmere-padded shackles.

What’s that? What did I think of the film? Oh I didn’t stick around for that.

Tags: film, MJ, ms shelebridee