Book and magazine covers by Linder
Clockwise from top left: Little Birds by Anaïs Nin; Shine, Darling by Ella Frears; i-D magazine, 2009; A Little Feminist History of Art by Charlotte Mullins
Linder Sterling, like Madonna and Prince, is commonly known by her first name only. A collage artist who uses 1970s pornography magazines to expose the female role of domesticity in middle class life, Linder first gained recognition in the Manchester punk scene of the 1970s. In 1977 graphic designer Malcolm Garrett used her collage – a mix of Max Ernst, pop art, horror and feminism – for the cover of the Buzzcocks single Orgasm Addict. Her DIY, cut and paste approach was influenced by punk and contemporary magazines – at the time, men’s were either ‘DIY, cars or porn’, whilst women’s were ‘fashion or domestic stuff’ (though not much has changed). Linder combined the two in startling ways. Like Cosey Fanni Tutti – a feminist who also worked with pornography – Linder has gone from being a controversial figure in the 1970s to an accepted cultural institution.