One reason I was interested in photography was to get away from the preciousness of the art object.
Cindy ShermanI am always surprised at all the things people read into my photos, but it also amuse me. That may be because I have nothing specific in mind when I'm working. My intentions are neither feminist nor political. I try to put double or multiple meanings into my photos, which might give rise to a greater variety of interpretations.
Cindy ShermanSo many things suddenly made sense for the clowns, for the whole idea. Iโd been going through a struggle, particularly after 9/11; I couldnโt figure out what I wanted to say. I still wanted the work to be the same kind of mixture โ intense, with a nasty side or an ugly side, but also with a real pathos about the characters โ and clowns have an underlying sense of sadness while theyโre trying to cheer people up. Clowns are sad, but theyโre also psychotically, hysterically happy.
Cindy ShermanSome people have told me they remember the film that one of my images is derived from, but in fact I had no film in mind at all.
Cindy Sherman