Oedipal exposure: Leigh Ledare's photographs of his mother having sex

Most young men would be haunted for life by the sight of their mother having sex - the last thing they would want is a picture of it.
But for Leigh Ledare that image was such an inspiration that he decided to capture it on camera for the world to see in a series of photographs that Sigmund Freud himself could only have dreamed of.
The American artist has now sent shock waves through the art world after his collection explicit images of his mother, Tina, cavorting naked with an array of younger men was showcased as part of a new Exhibition  in London.
The New York-based photographer, 36, is showcasing the controversial series, many of which are too graphic to publish on this website, in a bid to redefine the perceived boundaries between mother and son.
More pics after the cut

 
In one, the middle-aged woman stares confidently into the camera as she removes her underwear, her legs spread wide in a pose that leaves little to the imagination.
Another shows her laughing in bed as she cavorts naked with a younger lover to whom she appears to have tied herself with a belt.
Meanwhile, others need little explanation beyond their titles, such as the provocatively-named 'Mom Spread with Lamp' and 'Mom F***ing in Mirror'.

Mother of art: This image is one of the less graphic pictures in the series, Pretend You're Actually Alive, and shows artist Leigh Ledare in bed with his mother, Tina

Asked by The Guardian if he ever gets turned on when taking such pictures of his mother, the artist replied ambiguously: 'I don't know what to say.'
'I think already in the background there were some foggy boundary issues. What people talk about as being Oedipal – there's a flirtation with that, but the boundaries were never actually crossed,' he said.
He says he gained inspiration for the series after returning home for Christmas one year to be greeted by his mother in a most unusual manner.

Ambiguous: When asked if he ever gets turned on when taking such pictures of his mother, New York-based Ledare (pictured) replied ambiguously, 'I don't know what to say'

'I arrived home not having seen her for a year and a half,' he recalls. 'She knew I was coming and opened the door naked.'
He said when he then entered the house and caught a glimpse into her bedroom, 'a young man, almost exactly my age, was sprawled out naked. He rolled over to see me, saying hello, before rolling back over and returning to sleep.'
'I had a camera and began making photos of her then,' he added. 'She was the catalyst.'
The exhibition also includes extracts from his own adolescent diary entries; ads Tina placed in the Seattle Weekly for 'a generous, wealthy husband (not someone else's) who wants his own private dancer'; as well as descriptions of her fraught relationship with her sons and former husband.
As a teenager, Tina was a ballet prodigy, who danced for the New York City Ballet Company, but turned to stripping when her career ended prematurely.
For seven years, Ledare has been photographing her in her most intimate acts and attitudes, exploiting her need for recognition and her boundless and exhibitionist attitude.
The pictures will be showcased in an exhibition The Home Truths: Photography, Motherhood and Identity – at the Photographers' Gallery in London