A Cindy Sherman Retrospective: Works from the Gerald Mead Collection– Mythologies of Identity (2023)
On February 3 rd 2023, CEPA Gallery is proud to celebrate the opening of a cluster of exhibitions titled Mythologies of Identity. Made possible through a grant from Embrace Western New York, this curatorial project by former CEPA Executive Director Veronique Cote will include a long overdue retrospective in Buffalo, NY of the work of world-acclaimed photographer Cindy Sherman, featuring works from the collection of noted Buffalo art collector Dr. Gerald Mead.
Through fashion props and styling, the artists of Mythologies of Identity showcase personas that challenge heteronormative definitions of gender in photography. The project bridges the gap between masculine and feminine through various simulations. First, Sherman’s career-long identity performances through self-portraiture; then emerging trans artist Dane-Adrian Smith and their Post-Gender World; finally, a Virtual Reality project on contemporary cowboy culture in the Canadian Midwest by Jean-René Leblanc. Following a long history of exploratory art practice at CEPA, the exhibition illustrates how visuals play a role in personal agency and empowerment in gender expression.
Cindy Sherman attended Buffalo State College in the mid 70’s, and during that period, played a crucial role in the formation of Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center and CEPA, artist run arts organizations in Buffalo that are both still salient to the region’s cultural landscape. Dr. Gerald Mead, an independent curator, artist, and emeriti art educator, has been collecting and exhibiting work by artists associated with WNY for 35 years. This exhibition, Cindy Sherman Retrospective: Works from the Gerald Mead Collection, will consist of his entire collection of 23 works by Sherman dating from 1975 to 2018. Included are works from several significant series of her career such as Untitled Film Stills, Fairy Tales and History Portraits.
Says Mead, “I am exceptionally pleased to have the opportunity to share my entire collection of works by Cindy Sherman with the public. Her time in Buffalo was a seminal part of her meteoric career – that combined with her extraordinary success in the international art world since then has long been a great source of pride and interest for the Western New York art community.”
The exhibition will be accompanied by a limited-edition catalog set designed by Kyle Wittek. Mythologies of Identity will be on view at CEPA from February 3 to April 22, 2023.
Please join us on Saturday, March 4th and April 1st from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM for a tour of the exhibition led by collector Dr. Gerald Mead during which he will discuss the unique significance of many of the works and his 28 year experience of collecting them.
Curated by Véronique Côté.
Photo Above:
Untitled (Lucille Ball), 1975/2001, gelatin silver print. Size: 10.5” x 8.25”. Image © Cindy Sherman, Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. From the Collection of Gerald Mead.
