Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

Barbara Kruger’s Untitled (Memory is your image of perfection), 1982, is a blend of text and image that cuts right to the bone—literally. Featuring an objectively scientific and thus neutral X-ray of a skeleton dressed in stereotypically feminine accessories, this work challenges viewers to question how gender and identity are socially constructed, not biologically fixed.

Kruger, deeply influenced by her background in design and advertising, uses bold slogans to address power dynamics, often focusing on the “gaze:” the long history of men looking at women as objects. Boo!

This Halloween, dust off that old skeleton costume and add a feminist flare. Don some stiletto heels, chunky bracelets, and bold typeface for the ultimate "haunted by the male gaze" look.

“I wish I could treat every day as Halloween, and get dressed up and go out into the world as some eccentric character.”
– Cindy Sherman for MoMA, 2012

Draped in synthetic blonde curls and a retro windbreaker, Cindy Sherman’s Untitled, 2000, morphs into a character that feels eerily familiar—part beauty queen, part late-night infomercial star, and 100% fabricated.

For Sherman, Halloween embodies the spirit of her work. Through wigs, makeup, and costuming, Sherman regularly transforms into characters entirely invented but instantly recognizable, pulling from pop culture, Hollywood film, and art history. With her camera, she turns identity into illusion and calls out how images shape who we think we are. Generally considered part of the Pictures Generation (a generation emerging in the 1970s of artists who focused on the power and meaning of pictures in a world increasingly saturated with images), Sherman addresses our image-obsessed world—a reality that’s only gotten spookier.

This Halloween, don’t just wear a costume, haunt a stereotype. Go camp. Go kitsch. Dress up as someone dressing up.

Jim Shaw’s Superman body parts, 2010, transforms the Man of Steel into a heap of scattered limbs from a fallen hero sliding off the shelf he was relegated to.

In his practice, Shaw explores the frailty of our heroes, deconstructing not just a comic book icon, but the entire myth of the all-powerful protector, reminding us that even Superman can fall apart under the weight of cultural expectations.

This Halloween, forget the flawless hero costume. Go as the post-heroic pile of parts: tattered cape, dismembered muscles, and a soul haunted by expectations.

Feeling inspired? Explore MCASD’s Collection online for more ideas.

Visit MCASD in costume this October 31, 2025 and receive free admission all day long! Whether you're spooky, surreal, or inspired by your favorite work of art, we can’t wait for you to haunt our halls.

Please note: For the safety of all guests and the artwork, full-face masks and oversized props or costume elements exceeding museum guidelines will not be permitted inside the galleries.