Linder Sterling

Linder was born in Liverpool to Jean and Thomas Mulvey. She attended Upholland Grammar School. From 1974-1977, Linder studied Graphic Design at Manchester School of Art at Manchester Polytechnic (now Manchester Metropolitan University). == Career ==

Linder also designed the cover for Magazine’s 1978 debut album Real Life. Linder has collaborated with several fashion designers including Richard Nicoll, Louise Gray, Christopher Shannon and Ashish Gupta. She went on to work on a second ballet with Tindall titled Children of the Stain, inspired by artists Ithell Colquhoun and Barbara Hepworth. She produced the costumes for this ballet with Richard Nicoll. ==Work==

Sterling's photomontage work was influenced by the punk rock movement; the punk cut-and-paste sensibility provided a vehicle to explore rebellion, gender, commodity critique, and the body. Her collage work was also influenced by the art historical Dadaist heritage, in particular the work of the German artist Hannah Hoch). She cites Dawn Adès' 1976 'Photomontage' as a major influence. In one of her early works, possibly her best known, the cover art for the 1977 single release of "Orgasm Addict" by the punk band Buzzcocks, the collage depicts a naked woman with an iron for a head and grinning mouths instead of nipples. Linder has instructed her son to not release the identity of the woman whose picture she used for the collage until after her death. "At this point, men's magazines were either DIY, cars or porn. Women's magazines were fashion or domestic stuff. So, guess the common denominator – the female body. I took the female form from both sets of magazines and made these peculiar jigsaws highlighting these various cultural monstrosities that I felt there were at the time."Rolling Stone described Sterling's work as "subversive photomontages which splice images from consumer culture and glossy glamour magazines". Linder has boxes of cut-outs in her studio that she works from. In her studio, Linder listens to Indian drone music, and scents the space with perfume. == Exhibitions ==

Sterling's work has been the subject of numerous international solo exhibitions, including those at the Tate Museum St. Ives, Kestnergesellschaft, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, among other venues. • February/April 2013: Femme / Objet, Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris • November 2023/April 2024: Women in Revolt!, Tate Modern == Public art ==

In 2018, Sterling was commissioned by Art on the Underground to produce a public art work at Southwark station. The Bower of Bliss, her first large-scale public art piece in London, consisted of an 85-metre long street-level photomontage billboard and a cover commission for the 29th edition of the pocket Tube map. Its launch was marked with a performance art piece in November 2018. == Performance ==

• The Bower of Bliss: An Improper Architecture, Women's Art Collection, Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, March 2020 • The Bower of Bliss, Southwark Underground Station, London, November 2018 for Art on the Underground • Destination Moon. You must not look at her!, Duke of York Steps, London, 2016 • Donkey Skin, Art Night, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, 2016 • Children of the Mantic Stain, Leeds Art Gallery, 2015 • The Ultimate Form, Salle Matisse, Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris, 2013 • The Darktown Cakewalk: Celebrated from the House of FAME, produced by Sorcha Dallas for the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art, Glasgow, 2010 • The Darktown Cakewalk: Celebrated from the House of FAME, Chisenhale Gallery, London, 2010 • The Working Class Goes To Paradise, Tate Triennial, Tate Britain, London, 2006 • Ludus, Hacienda, Manchester, 1982 ==Ludus==

In 1978, Linder founded the post-punk band Ludus. Linder designed many of the group's album covers and sleeves. The bulk of the band's material was originally released on the indie labels New Hormones and Crepuscule. ==Publications==

• Linder, published by Ridinghouse 2015 • Femme/Objet, published by Musée d'Art moderne de la ville de Paris, 2013, on the occasion of Linder's solo exhibition • Linder: Works 1976–2006, (with essays written by Jon Savage, Philip Hoare, Lynne Tillman, Paul Bayley, Andrew Renton and Morrissey), published by JRP|Editions, 2006 ==Collections==

Sterling's work is included in the permanent collection of the Tate Modern Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, among others. ==Honours and awards==

In 2005, Sterling received a grant from the Arts Council of England. In 2017, she received the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for her creative work. ==Personal life==

Linder has a son, Maxwell Sterling. Linder lives and works in London. Sterling was the inspiration for The Smiths' critically acclaimed song "Cemetry Gates". ==References==