One of the leading artists of her generation, Sam Taylor-Johnson is acclaimed for her compelling psychological portraits in photography, film and video. Her work is distinguished by an ironic and subversive use of these media to create enigmatic situations replete with latent but explosive energy. Compulsively examining and dissecting the contemporary psyche and the place of the individual within the social group, she displays the vulnerability and fragility of the human body and self. This publication has been conceived as two books to combine both the traditional elements of a museum catalogue and the vibrant possibilities of an artists book. Many of the now familiar images of the artists most iconic works are reproduced alongside previously unpublished images from her own archives, including personal, reportage and documentary images. The artist has asked musicians and writers who have inspired her work to contribute text to accompany images of works from the last ten years.

Sam Taylor-Johnson (formerly Taylor-Wood) is a British artist and filmmaker. Originally a sculptor, she began working in the mediums of photography, film, and video in the early 1990s and was considered a pivotal figure of the YBA movement. Taylor-Johnson has had numerous group and solo exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale (1997), where she won the Illy Café Prize for Most Promising Young Artist. Other important solo shows include the Hayward Gallery (2002) and BALTIC Gateshead (2006). Her first feature as a director was 2009 with the critically acclaimed "Nowhere Boy," which was based on the life of the adolescent John Lennon and was nominated for 4 BAFTAs including Best British Film and Outstanding Debut for her directorial debut. Taylor-Johnson is now in pre-production on her forthcoming hugely anticipated second feature film, E. L. James's "Fifty Shades of Grey."