Provocative new book explores sex in punk

And punk in sex.

British artist, designer and sometime punk historian Toby Mott has unveiled his new book Showboat: Punk / Sex / Bodies, reports Dazed.

Moving from 1972 right up to present day, Showboat chronologically surveys the relationship between punk and sex through original posters, flyers, record covers, photographs and ephemera drawn from the editor’s punk archive, The Mott Collection.

The publication includes anecdotes, lyrics, manifestos, personal essays and overviews as told by a wide array of contributors – including Sex Pistols’ Paul Cook, VF contributor Vivien Goldman, Eve Libertine of Crass, and writer Will Self.

“The status of punk as a radical subculture meant that it could freely explore sex without mainstream censorship; and this ability to openly express sex and sexuality provided punk with so much of its essential rawness and immediacy,” reads the press notes.

In 2013, The Vinyl Factory and The Mott Collection collaborated on an exhibition and publication: American Hardcore, 1978-1990 to tell the story of hardcore punk through its iconic, anarchist artwork.

Showboat: Punk / Sex / Bodies is published by Dashwood Books and will be released as an edition of 1,500. You can pre-order it here or pick up a copy at the NY Art Book Fair in September.

Courtesy of Toby Mott, flick through photos from the book in this gallery: