Untitled 1976

Curator: This startling mixed-media collage, Untitled, was created in 1976 by the artist Linder. It’s currently part of the collection here at the Tate Britain. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Disquieting. There's something unsettling about the way the artist juxtaposes these images, it triggers unease, it disrupts. I'm curious to know more about the symbolism at play. Curator: Well, on the surface, this collage seems to be commenting directly on the objectification of women. By placing a domestic iron where the model’s head should be, and mouths where her nipples would be, Linder draws connections between women, domestic labor, and sexual commodification. This was created in the context of second-wave feminism and the rise of punk. Editor: The iron immediately brings to mind not just domesticity but a specific kind of repressive, almost violent pressure. The mouth, repeated like that, subverts its usual connotations of pleasure and communication, becoming almost predatory. It echoes imagery one sees in Surrealism. It also brings to mind similar imagery of Hannah Hoch's Dadaist collages where objects of modern technology were infused with a life of their own, not always of human benefit. Curator: Absolutely, there is an undeniably Pop Art sensibility to Linder's appropriation of mass-media imagery. However, the intent seems much more politicized, more intersectional. We should not forget the broader discourse of identity politics, a response against systems that seek to homogenize. It raises questions about how images shape our understanding and lived experience. Editor: And consider the glossy, almost hyper-real quality of the photographic fragments—likely sourced from magazines. This glossy surface intensifies the grotesque juxtaposition, which is at the core of the image’s enduring power. In iconographic terms, Linder reconfigures visual grammar itself. Curator: The fact that it's a collage is also vital, pointing to fragmentation of the female subject within culture. Overall, the message still rings true: we continue grappling with the female form. Editor: Indeed. By unsettling those very cultural memories, artworks such as this invite a space for fresh consideration of enduring struggles and ongoing revisioning.