Mike 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 introduced McLeod as a disruptive voice during a cultural resurgence of independent publishing.

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

During that time an expanded practice emerged. ANOTHER DEATH (2026), McLeod's first work in over a decade, raised more questions than it answered with its meticulous minimalism. HI-VIZ, BLACK ICE and HATE MAIL followed in quick succession, establishing McLeod as a multi-disciplinary conceptualist with a visual and material vocabulary informed by vernacular signage.

Prior to attending university, McLeod worked as a designer for RollingStone and a media producer for Playboy. 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, 2014 - Ashes / Ashes, Los Angeles