A draw to Menorca was the chance to see the major retrospective of Cindy Sherman\u2019s work, which was being exhibited at Hauser & Wirth\u2019s space on the Spanish island at the time. \u201cThere\u2019s a really amazing film there about how she works as a solo maker, as well as artist, as well as photographer. I loved her perseverance with just trying different things and learning a lot about herself in the process,\u201d says Lloyd-Platt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sherman\u2019s methodology provided a blueprint to Lloyd-Platt, who adopted a character she named Cindy for her own work there. It allowed her to operate more freely: \u201cI did find myself being a bit more open in conversation in my own mind with these characters,\u201d she says. But working as an \u2018other\u2019 also allowed her to treat herself with the kindness she might not otherwise afford \u2013 that inner voice saying things you\u2019d never say to a friend \u2013 and neutralise the guilt of perceived \u2018selfishness\u2019 she might feel in this act of self care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAny kind of choice to put yourself first is seen as really selfish,\u201d Lloyd-Platt explains. \u201cI consoled her in ways I couldn\u2019t for myself, I listened to her and tried not to interrupt, and mostly we were quiet, but her presence was equal and non-judgemental \u2013 and that felt radical. The cruelty we lay over ourselves burns and the societal suggestion of manners pacifies that harshness when it\u2019s applied to others \u2013 thinking of ourselves as a friend can hush that voice.\u201d<\/p>\n
The choice of black and white, for a photographer who is known for her vibrant use of colour \u2013 particularly strong reds \u2013 in her commercial work, was a part of the process of stripping away. \u201cI always thought [black-and-white photography] was a cop out. And I love colour, I find it really invigorating. But maybe it can also be a distraction. If these photographs were in colour they would make way less sense, and I think be less evocative and give less space for imagination. When you have images like this in colour, they can become retro really quickly. And I think it gives people too much information in some cases.\u201d<\/p>\n Though she spent one night visiting her sister\u2019s family \u2013 the one photo in this body of work with her subject making eye contact is her niece wearing goggles \u2013 the rest of the week-long trip was spent entirely solo, with no familiar people to act as buffers in this new environment. Instead, Lloyd-Platt\u2019s gaze became outward looking, people watching from comfortable distances. Even her camera became incidental, choosing a small innocuous point-and-shoot held subtly by her body rather than holding the viewfinder up to her face.<\/p>\n \u201cI really wanted to see with my own eyes rather than through the camera,\u201d she explains. Her \u2018photographer\u2019s eye\u2019 really came into play in the editing and sequencing phase. \u201cI found these scenes that I wasn\u2019t watching at the time,\u201d says Lloyd-Platt. \u201cYou see loads of joy and you see loads of connection that is kind of everywhere.\u201d The approach removed any ego from the process, allowing the photographer to just be in the world and later explore and discover again in the process of looking at her shots afterwards.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s a distinctly opposite approach to the kind of public photography of strangers in the male-dominated field of \u2018street photography\u2019. Lloyd-Platt\u2019s approach, which prioritises presence, shoots from a respectful distance, and feels more like wistful people watching than intrusive snapping. \u201cI\u2019m not taking photos to make people uncomfortable or feel watched,\u201d she explains. \u201cBut we are all looking at each other all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Even the landscapes, devoid of people altogether, take on a feminine presence. Menorca \u2013 a feminine word in Spanish \u2013 reads as a woman in the work. \u201cThere\u2019s a picture of a sun lounger \u2013 it\u2019s like a woman on her elbow, leaning up as if she\u2019s at the beach. A lot of people connect with it and describe it as a \u2018her\u2019, which I really like,\u201d says Lloyd-Platt. Displayed in her current exhibition, in collaboration with Leyton-based curatorial practice Monument \u2013 which specialises in sourcing and styling rare archival design pieces and works of art \u2013 that energy informed the selection of pieces shown alongside the work. At one point they considered including a chair titled \u2018the thinking man\u2019 but decided against it: \u201cWe just can\u2019t.\u201d explains the photographer, \u201cIt’s just completely not welcome.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The show Make Me Saline positions photographic work from this project alongside furniture pieces curated by Monument\u2019s Leah Forsyth-Steel and Victoria Spicer, including a Tom Dixon piece named the Coral Chair. It\u2019s a piece that was made in LA and then rather than transported back to the UK was put at the bottom of the sea. \u201cAll the coral and things are masked on the original piece,\u201d explains Lloyd-Platt, \u201cand that felt quite nice to have something that was extra relevant as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a>
![\"Agnes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/473491.jpg\")
Photography by Agnes Lloyd-Platt. Courtesy of Monument<\/p>\n<\/a>
![\"Agnes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/473492.jpg\")
Photography by Agnes Lloyd-Platt. Courtesy of Monument<\/p>\n
![\"Agnes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/473490.jpg\")
Photography by Agnes Lloyd-Platt. Courtesy of Monument<\/p>\n