Techniques of The Self; On the art of Cindy Sherman from Untitled Film Stills to Instagram

Considered as a whole, Sherman's project touches on three interlinked dimensions of contemporary existence: first, it puts forward a conception of time appropriate to the accelerated tempo of instant communication and new media. Second it grasps the image as a sensation rather than a representation, and third is the insight that the notion of an individual as autonomous and independent is incompatible with the development of new media, the culture of the selfie and Instagram. What follows is an outline of these qualities of Sherman's art.