Tessa Boffin

“Tessa Boffin” is a landmark monograph celebrating the fearless and theatrical vision of one of Britain’s most uncompromising queer artists.

Tessa Boffin (1960–1993) was a pioneering artist and lesbian activist working between the mid-1980s and early 1990s. Despite a brief career — she took her own life at just 33 — Boffin created a deeply complex body of work that explored gender, sex positivity, and the politics of AIDS at a time of fierce cultural resistance.

Through her intricately posed tableaux, Boffin championed lesbian visibility and explored queer identity through fantastical, provocative narratives. Her practice was bold and ground-breaking, carving out space where there was little representation or acknowledgement of queer desire. Deftly weaving historical reference, critical theory and wit, she proposed an alternative lens through which to view desire, history, and power.

This first monograph brings together Boffin’s five major series — Angelic Rebels, The Knight’s Move, Lovers’ Distance — alongside a selection of commissions and collaborative works, edited and introduced by her long-time friend and collaborator Sunil Gupta.

“If we choose to forget the role transgressive fantasies play in shaping sexual identities, we leave our sense of selves and our imagery wanting. Maybe it is time to remember how we model ourselves on horny daydreams and tattered photographs.” — Tessa Boffin

Published - 1st September
Size - 30x20
Pageas - 104
Details - Hard Back / Leather bound with 4 ribbons / tip on