Chloe Sherman

Chloe Sherman
Sherman in 2023
Born1969 (age 56–57)
New York City, US
EducationSan Francisco Art Institute (BFA)
OccupationPhotographer
Websitechloeshermanstudio.com

Chloe Sherman (born 1969) is an American photographer. She is best known for her 1990s film photographs of the lesbian and queer community in the Mission District of San Francisco,[1] and her related traveling solo exhibition Renegades: San Francisco, The 1990s.[2]

Life and work

Chloe Sherman was born in 1969, in New York City, and raised by hippie parents who would move the family to Portland, Oregon, where she would grow up.[3][4]

Her move to San Francisco, California was inspired by a zine she read in her hometown bookstore titled Love Bites (1991) by Del LaGrace Volcano.[5][6] Upon visiting for the first time Sherman would come across a newly opened cafe, the Bearded Lady Cafe in the Mission District. This became the social hub for Sherman and other artists alike, such as Catherine Opie, who would be an important factor in Sherman's attendance to the San Francisco Art Institute.[7] Sherman would later graduate with a BFA degree in photography from the San Francisco Art Institute.[3]

Sherman's work was heavily inspired by the work of Del LaGrace Volcano's photographs capturing the lesbian/dyke culture of London.[8] Her photographs act as an archive of her life. Shot on 35mm film Sherman took to snapping photos that highlighted her world, the intimacy, community, and resistance from the mainstream.[9] These shots included an emphasis on the butch and femme subculture of the 1990s.[6]

However, may of these photos were not made public for roughly thirty years.[10] In 2021, Sherman's daughter saw a photo her mother had taken uncredited on Instagram. This led to her daughter pushing Sherman to create an account and share the work she had done, leading to her eventual exhibitions and publications.[6]

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

  • 2022: RENEGADES San Francisco: the 1990s, Schlomer Haus Gallery, San Francisco, California
  • 2023: RENEGADES San Francisco: Queer Life in the 1990s, F³ Freiraum für Fotografie, Berlin, Germany[10]
  • 2024: RENEGADES San Francisco: the 1990s, Leica Camera Gallery, San Francisco, California
  • 2025: RENEGADES San Francisco: the 1990s, Von Lintel Gallery, Los Angeles, California[11]
  • 2025: RENEGADES. San Francisco: Queer Life in the 1990s, Photobastei, Zürich, Switzerland

Group exhibitions

  • 2026: Photos on Fridges, Harkawik Gallery, New York City, New York[12]
  • 2025: Around Group f/64: Legacies and Counterhistories in Bay Area Photography, SF MOMA, San Francisco, California
  • 2024: What We Love: Street Photography, San Francisco, California and Warsaw, Poland
  • 2024: Who's Afraid Of Stardust, Kunsthalle Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany[13]

Collections

Publications

  • Bright, Susie; Posener, Jill, eds. (1997). Nothing but the Girl: The Blatant Lesbian Image: A Portfolio and Exploration of Lesbian Erotic Photography. Freedom Editions. ISBN 978-1860470011.[15]
  • Sherman, Chloe (July 2023). Barth, Nadine; Mouratidi, Katharina (eds.). Renegades: San Francisco: The 1990s. Lynn Breedlove (text), Catherine Opie (text), Anna Joy Springer (text). Hatje Cantz. ISBN 978-6-00003153-4.[16][17][18]
  • Cotton, Charlotte, ed. (November 2025). femxphotographers.org: Love. Hatje Cantz. ISBN 978-3-7757-6137-6.
  • Ramos, Alex, ed. (2026). Meet Me In The City - Trick Dog. Trick Dog. ISBN 979-8-218-82764-9.

References

  1. ^ "Photographer Chloe Sherman stages a look back at '90s queer history at Schlomer Haus Gallery". 7x7 Bay Area. May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  2. ^ Haynes, Suyin (October 19, 2023). "Inside the 'beautiful underbelly' of San Francisco's 1990s queer community". CNN. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  3. ^ a b Siddons, Edward (September 13, 2023). "'Gender experimentation was central to our lives': Chloe Sherman's best photograph". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  4. ^ "Photographer Chloe Sherman". Storied: San Francisco. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  5. ^ Black, Ezrha Jean (September 11, 2025). "Chloe Sherman Renegade". Artillery Magazine. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c "Memories of San Francisco's 1990s radical lesbian scene". Huck. April 29, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  7. ^ Rosen, Miss (March 8, 2024). "Revisiting San Francisco's Radical Queer Scene of the 90s". Blind Magazine. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  8. ^ "Photos from San Francisco's Rebellious 90s Lesbian Scene". Vice. July 12, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  9. ^ "Chloe Sherman: Renegades". Distributed Art Publishers. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  10. ^ a b "Chloe Sherman - Renegades". Halbe Rahmen GmbH Magazin (in German). August 2, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  11. ^ "Renegades San Francisco, the 1990s". Meer. May 21, 2025. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  12. ^ "Photos on Fridges at Harkawik, New York". Art Viewer. December 27, 2025. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  13. ^ "Exhibition Who's Afraid Of Stardust?". Photography-now.com. 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  14. ^ "View from the Back Seat by Chloe Sherman". National Portrait Gallery (NGA). Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  15. ^ Bombardier, Cooper Lee (December 12, 2023). "'Renegades' documents the queer history Chloe Sherman helped create". Xtra Magazine. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  16. ^ Holladay, Hilary (March 2024). "'Outcasts and artists flocked to the city.'". The Gay & Lesbian Review. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  17. ^ Long, Crispin (September 15, 2023). "Friendship and Gender Rebellion in Nineties San Francisco". The New Yorker (book review). ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  18. ^ Alexandra, Rae (August 21, 2023). "Chloe Sherman's 'Renegades' Beautifully Conveys Queer Life in 1990s San Francisco". KQED. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
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