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MIKE McLEOD



hello@notmikemcleod.com

ambient.hypertrophy

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Self Portrait - Austin Texas, 2020



Mike McLeod is an American artist, designer, athlete and yogi.

McLeod was first known as a photographer for the arresting portraits of Casual Encounters (2011) and haunting interiors of Texas Porno Road Trip (2014). His deadpan surrealism and experimental book design established McLeod as a groundbreaking voice during a cultural resurgence of independent publishing.

Curator Shannon Michael Cane championed McLeod, writing for Aperture that he 'subverts photographic tropes' and 'traverses complex territory'. Cane became a close friend and the two engaged in daily conversation as McLeod travelled the United States making the photographs that would eventually become ADULT (2017). After Cane's unexpected passing, McLeod withdrew from the public eye to study Yoga and Eastern spiritual philosophies.

Since then, an expanded practice has been emerging. MMAAGGIICC (2026), McLeod's first work in a decade, marks a significant shift. Ancient mystic traditions and contemporary life in the American Southwest inform experiments in drawing, printmaking, animation and book design.

Prior to attending university, McLeod was as a designer for RollingStone.com and a producer for Playboy.com. His work has been exhibited internationally, covered by Der Greif and Aperture as well as published in numerous anthologies including 10x10 American Photobooks, Unlocked and Printed Matter's Queer Zines Vol. 2.

McLeod is a 2013 recipient of the Phoenix Art Museum Contemporary Forum Emerging Artist Grant.



Exhibition View - Ashes / Ashes, Los Angeles (2014)