Works 1976–2006

Disclosing a public secret

First book dedicated to the English artist and musician (*1955). The artistic career of Linder Sterling stretches over three decades and numerous areas of cultural production. This publication brings together for the first time material ranging from her drawings from the 1970s to her most recent works, her punk designs to her musical performances.

The artist’s first impact on the public was through the punk fanzine “The Secret Public,” and the sleeve for the Buzzcock’s first single, “Orgasm Addict.” Linder Sterling’s own group, Ludus, came next, founded with Ian Devine, and her photo-collaged friends of the 1970s. If her appearances have remained famous in the musical milieu (her costume of raw meat with black vibrator worn at a special evening at the Hacienda is unforgettable…), it is only very recently that the artist has found recognition for her visual contributions to punk and its offshoots.

With no clear academic career, without institutional or curatorial support until recent years, her multidisciplinary and performative work is simply part of her life. It has been said that Linder Sterling is the missing link between Tracey Emin and Yoko Ono: as much as that description is evocative, it only hints at the visual richness of the work and the artist’s own ambition.