Through defaced leather jackets, memorabilia, self-portraits, video, and installation, journey through a raw, funny, and personal exploration of art, identity, and growing up different.

Marking her first major solo show after a celebrated collaborative career, this show centres on The Crime Scene, an installation developed since 2019 and now debuting beyond her studio. Trace the moments that shaped her voice, and experience a life of rebellion, resilience, and sharp wit.

‘Seeing my life laid bare before me was like unravelling my brain, only then was I able to see more clearly what needed to happen next as one idea led to another and another in a continuation of the web…’ – Sue Webster

What to expect

At the heart of the show is The Crime Scene, an imposing wall installation developed by Sue since 2019, shown outside her studio for the first time. Discover a vast, intricate web of memories, music, and mementos tracing Sue’s life and examining what it means to be an artist.

Like evidence in a detective’s case file, each object is connected with neon string, mapping the chain of experiences that shaped the artist’s life. A new audio work narrated by Sue guides you through these connections.

You’ll see a series of self-portrait paintings created during Sue’s pregnancy, some depicting her wearing customised leather jackets.

Also on display are 18 customised, hand-painted leather jackets featuring imagery inspired by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, reflecting its influence on Sue’s work. The jackets are accompanied by a bespoke soundtrack and video footage of a fashion show staged in the artist’s studio

The final room focuses on Sue’s relationship with her son, Spider-Ray. See a new striking series of self-portraits as well as ‘Birth of an Icon’, a shrine to Spider-Ray that includes a painting and objects connected to his birth.

About the artist

Sue Webster is an artist who established her reputation in the mid-1990s, working with her then-partner Tim Noble. Together they rose to prominence, making abstract shadow sculptures assembled from seemingly random objects.

Sue published the visual biography I Was a Teenage Banshee in 2019. A Künstlerroman (artist’s coming of age novel), the book combines personal memoir with a visual narrative of her evolution as an artist and describes how listening to Siouxsie and the Banshees helped guide her through a troubled adolescence.

In recent years, Sue has been painting in oils, turning her focus inward to create a striking series of large-scale self-portraits.

Find out more about Sue Wesbter

This exhibition is kindly supported by The Coode-Adams Firstsite Trust