Sheila Cunningham - Options, 2002
Polaroid transfer - 16 x 16 inches
Sheila Cunningham's intimate close-up photo transfer in The MAC's 2002 Picture Yourself membership show is anything but forthcoming. She hides in plain sight, playing visual distortion games that obfuscate her face while elucidating her personna.
I used up most of the heart puns in my review of last year's Corazon show, so I won't bother you about the crystaline nature of Sheila Cunningham's mosaic Special Delivery. In real life the red seemed much redder, and the little mirrored bits fairly gleamed, which is probably why I stepped back for this shot. In the gallery, this Special D, 3D heart is a startling contrast of red and sparkle.
original Corazon review
Sheila Cunningham - Divining the Future
Polaroid transfer photograph
There's not much Outside about Polaroid transfers anymore. But the star of Sheila Cunningham's litle photograph isn't technique so much as subject, although the transfer artifacts meld well with the luscious transurface textures. The subject's goofy, retro techno lenses lend a comedic, Terry Gillam, Monty Python-esque world view, and his silvering 'stash, graying, receding hair and the oddly bulbous, out of focus background all seem perfect together.
