WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

"Cindy Sherman became one of the most influential artists by pretending to be someone else," writes Dodie Kazanjian in a profile of the artist in this month's Vogue. The same might be said of nearly every contemporary artist worth her weight in ArtForum write-ups. But none fits the description more literally than Sherman , who has made her name with an oeuvre of shape-shifting self-portraits (pictured here in "Untitled Film Still #3" from 1977).

Kazanjian's piece is an intimate glimpse of the artist (together with glimpses of her boyfriend, David Byrne). But the real treat lies in the photograph that accompanies the text: a self-portrait of the artist as a Vogue feature. Naturally it's all very meta, and amusingly so. Scrutinise the image and you'll notice a host of sly jabs directed at the magazine's haughty self-conception, including Sherman's ridiculous silk-organdy ball gown (designed by Narciso Rodriguez), a gaunt mannequin head on a pole (meant to replace Sherman's own?) and Sherman's facial expression, which is emptier than Anna Wintour's coffee cup by 9am.

Credit where due: Vogue deserves a gold star for taking the joke in stride.

~ MOLLY YOUNG

Picture credit: Collection The Museum of Modern Art, New York