When a smiling pile of poop won’t cut it in the emoticon game, what about a Cindy Sherman self-portrait? That’s right, the latest addition to the emoticon arsenal, Cindy Sherman–Icon, from New York–based designer Hyo Hong, draws on the artist’s extensive body of work, in which she photographs herself in different guises. And you can import them into your Emoji keyboard.
Considering the wide range of emotions that are covered by Emojis and the many costumes and expressions featured in Sherman’s work, the two seem like a natural pairing. “I found iconic connections between her self-portraits and emoticons in terms of various facial expressions from one face,” said Hyo in a statement. From enigmatic starlet to aging socialite, Sherman’s photos are sure to capture the perfect identity or feeling for every situation.
Hyo isn’t the first artist to re-purpose Sherman’s iconic images. Last year, actor-turned-artist James Franco recreated Sherman’s “Untitled Film Stills” (1977–80), standing in for the artist in a widely lampooned series of works that appeared at Pace Gallery in New York (see Why James Franco’s Cindy Sherman Homage at Pace Is Not Just Bad But Offensive).
There have also been other noteworthy additions to the Emoji character set, notably in the form of Emoji faces from other races (see Multi-Ethnic Emojis Update Is About to Up Your Emoji Art Game). Artists have also drawn inspiration from the emotive cartoon, be it in the form of cartoon celebrities (see New Media Artist Creates Celebrity Portraits With Emojis), large glittering sculptures (see Indianapolis Airport Authority Censors Justin Bieber Artwork), or the Garden of Emoji Delights, the modern-day take on Hieronymous Bosch’s the Garden of Earthly Delights from Carla Gannis that appeared at this past weekend’s PULSE art fair in New York (see Instagram-Ready PULSE Looks To Surprise You).