Uncanny Valley
of the Dolls

Sara Cwynar lays herself out in a style we might call a study in contradictions. Cwynar is no mannequin, but she stands in a distinct pose discerning shoppers might recognize from a certain e-commerce site; Cwynar is no doll, but she dresses herself in fashions that are in with this season and out with the next. As the artist, she has the depth to call herself muse; as muse, she becomes flat on the page. The packaging is the point—in portraiture, it’s what’s on the outside that counts.

The effect feels something like a postcard of the Mona Lisa wearing sunglasses. What is she thinking? We wonder when we look at the unblinking woman on the canvas, in the frame, on the page. She’s thinking about how she can cover everything up while still giving herself away.