PROFILE | Linder Sterling: Collage x Punk x Fashion x Performance Art
Inspired by the Dada movement and unhappy with 1976 North England society, artist Linder Sterling’s collages are made of cutouts from pornography and advertising—a visual commentary on identity, sexuality, fashion and society.
A well-known figure of Manchester’s punk and post-punk scene, Sterling’s provocative sleeve for Orgasm Addict by Buzzcocks in 1977 is one of her most famous works. Collage was crucial to punk because as Sterling puts it, “it was about making sense of the world. With collage, you make things wrong to make them right”.
She boasts editorial collaborations with Tim Walker, including one for Vogue Italia (with all the Prada S/S10), and a counter label S/HE with designer Richard Nicoll. Richard Nicoll’s pieces have also made appearances in her performance art.
And hey, she wore a meat dress during her performance in 1982 at The Haçienda with her post-punk band Ludus—well before Lady Gaga did it.
Linder Sterling is currently the ‘guinea pig’ for the new artist in residence at Tate St. Ives. Her incredible performance art piece, “The Ultimate Form”, takes place on February 8th and is a “living collage” of dance, music, fashion, fine arts and landscape.
We really love this artist, and her multi-disciplined body of work is just awe-inspiring.