For 50 years, the art of Linder has dissected our fascination with the body and its representation.
Linder, the pioneering feminist artist from Liverpool, has made a name for herself with her radical photomontages and a body of work that challenges societal norms around the body and its portrayal. The Hayward Gallery in London will host Danger Came Smiling, a retrospective showcasing five decades of Linder’s thought-provoking artistry. From her punk roots to her foray into ballet, here are five key aspects of Linder’s life and work that make her a force to be reckoned with.
1. Her work is rooted in the punk movement of the 1970s
Linder’s journey began amidst the rebellious spirit of the 1970s Manchester punk scene. As a graphic design student at Manchester Polytechnic, she created iconic works that became synonymous with the era’s music culture. Her designs graced record covers, including The Buzzcocks’ Orgasm Addict (1977) and Magazine’s debut album Real Life (1978). Linder also channelled her creative energy into the post-punk band Ludus, which she co-founded in 1978. Ludus, known for their avant-garde sound, remained active until 1984, with their work influencing a generation of feminist punk enthusiasts.
2. Smiles as symbols of duality
The exhibition’s title, Danger Came Smiling, is drawn from Ludus’s 1982 album. This recurring motif in Linder’s work highlights her fascination with smiles—symbols of joy that can also carry unsettling undertones. In her photomontages, exaggerated and misplaced smiles question the authenticity of the happiness depicted in advertisements and other media. They reveal the dissonance between appearance and reality, where a smile can simultaneously comfort and deceive. This approach exemplifies Linder’s knack for uncovering danger hidden within the ordinary and mundane, making the familiar feel startlingly new.
3. A fascination with working-class glamour
Linder’s childhood in Liverpool shaped her enduring interest in working-class interpretations of glamour. She observed the aspirational allure of her neighbours’ styles and later, the flamboyant transformations of men at Manchester’s Dickens nightclub in the 1970s. These experiences informed her artistic exploration of glamour as a mask or a form of concealment.
In her photographic series SheShe (1981), created in collaboration with photographer Birrer, Linder explored the interplay of glamour and masquerade. In recent years, her fascination with this theme has inspired collaborations with fashion designers such as Richard Nicoll and Ashish Gupta, blending art and fashion to push boundaries further.
4. A master of photomontage
Linder’s photomontages remain her signature contribution to contemporary art. Armed with a surgical-grade scalpel, she meticulously cuts and assembles fragments of images from magazines to create thought-provoking compositions.
Her Pretty Girls series (1977) juxtaposes nude pin-ups with household appliances, offering a sharp critique of post-war consumerism. By equating the commodification of women’s bodies with the marketing of products, Linder’s work challenges societal norms and reveals the inherent absurdities of consumer culture. Her photomontages, with their striking contrasts and subversive humour, provide a lens through which to view the shifting cultural attitudes of the past five decades.
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5. A lifelong love of ballet
Linder’s fascination with ballet began in her childhood, sparked by her collection of ballet annuals. These books introduced her to a world where gender boundaries blurred, with men and women alike donning tights and makeup. This transformative vision of the stage stayed with her throughout her career.
Decades later, Linder collaborated with choreographer Kenneth Tindall and Northern Ballet to create The Ultimate Form, her first ballet. She followed this with Children of the Mantic Stain, inspired by artists Ithell Colquhoun and Barbara Hepworth. Costumes from these productions, designed in collaboration with Richard Nicoll, are featured in the Hayward Gallery exhibition, reflecting her ability to merge movement, design, and visual art seamlessly.
A legacy of subversion
Through Danger Came Smiling, Linder’s retrospective offers a unique opportunity to engage with her groundbreaking exploration of identity, consumerism, and performance. For five decades, her art has dared to dissect societal norms with wit and insight. Whether through photomontage, music, or ballet, Linder invites us to reconsider the images and ideas that shape our world.
