Deepfake: The new exhibition exploring identity through celebrity impersonators

A new photography exhibition by Cybele Malinowski has opened in Sydney, presenting a series titled 'Deepfake: what does it mean to be seen?'. The work, initially reported by The Guardian, features portraits of individuals who have built professional lives around emulating iconic figures. The series explores the intersection of identity, performance, and the American dream, capturing the tension between the mundane and the mythic.

The images were captured across Las Vegas and Los Angeles, focusing on impersonators of Cher, Madonna, Elvis Presley, Prince, Marilyn Monroe, and Tom Cruise. One subject, known as Coty, works as a real estate agent by day before transforming into various 20th-century icons by night. In one striking image, Coty appears as Madonna in a Jean Paul Gaultier corset, photographed in a penthouse above the Las Vegas Strip. The setting, with its floor embedded with rubies and lapis lazuli, underscores the city’s role as the endpoint of the American dream, where collective aspiration becomes a shared reality.

Another subject, Ethan, is a Los Angeles real estate agent and father who performs as Tom Cruise. A photograph taken in a West Hollywood hotel room captures him in a moment of stillness, an homage to the famous Oprah couch moment. While the original incident was defined by mania, Malinowski’s image freezes the pause after the spectacle, highlighting the quietude that follows the performance.

The exhibition also includes a video work titled 'Run Elvis Run'. The clip features a motion-blurred figure running across the frame against the fading Las Vegas dusk. Malinowski describes the moment of creation, noting that she closed her eyes briefly while photographing her subject in a hotel room, only to hear Elvis singing to her. The resulting visual is an apparition, capturing the ephemeral nature of the persona.

In Las Vegas, the backdrop often reflects the city’s transient history. One photograph, titled 'Cher Awaits Room Service', was shot inside the Circus Circus hotel, described as one of the last remnants of old Las Vegas. The building visible in the window behind the subject was demolished the day after the shoot, illustrating how the city consumes its own history and rebuilds itself decade after decade.

The series extends to Los Angeles, where a subject named Alicia performs as Marilyn Monroe. In one image, Alicia stands before the Hollywood sign, watched by five tourists who perform the role of the audience. In another, she is seen walking her dogs on Melrose Avenue, a contemporary side hustle for the most photographed woman of the 20th century. Malinowski observed the transformation in Alicia’s apartment, watching the woman disappear as the icon emerged.