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Linder - King’s Ransom (Hybrid Tea)

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Linder - King’s Ransom (Hybrid Tea)

Linder is probably best known as the creator of the artwork for Buzzcocks’ 1977 album Orgasm Addict. Thirty years on, King’s Ransom (Hybrid Tea) demonstrates the breadth of her practice through drawings, photography, collage and sculptural installation.

Originally shot for i-D magazine, the photographs in the first gallery are the result of a collaboration between the artist and the photographer Tim Walker, while the clothing was created with fashion designer Richard Nicoll. Voluminous coiffure, white gloves and heels all seem to indicate that the protagonist is a stereotypical ‘Stepford’ wife; however, some of the more unusual items of clothing, such as a moulded plastic ‘bustier’ – a cross between a bullet-proof vest and a medical support – suggest a more subversive reading. The artist’s poses are also at odds with the domestic sphere (vacuuming the lawn and sitting upon a kneeling woman in her underwear), and parts of her body are replaced or obscured by flowers.

Next door is an intriguing sculptural installation, several drawings done from pornographic images, and more collages – this time of glamour models and cakes. Some are effective, such as the woman who is entirely covered by a giant gelatinous flan, but overall this is a weak critique of traditional female roles and stereotypes. A working knowledge of Linder’s previous work may enhance the viewer’s appreciation, but her upcoming performance at The Arches, intriguingly entitled The Darktown Cakewalk, should shed more light on Linder’s art and enable her to exhibit her talents to a greater degree.

Sorcha Dallas, Glasgow, until Sat 22 May

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