Leigh Bowery, the provocative performer and designer who defied easy categorization, is the subject of a new exhibition at the Tate Modern in London. The show, titled “Leigh Bowery!”, aims to bring his diverse talents to a broader audience without pigeonholing him. “If you label me, you negate me,” Bowery said in 1993, a year before his death at age 33.
This resistance to labels has contributed to his not becoming a household name, despite his immense cultural influence. The exhibition, which runs from February 27 to August 31, charts Bowery’s journey from suburban Australia to the heart of London’s alternative gay club scene in the ’80s. It traces his transformation into a figure described by Boy George as “modern art on legs.”
Bowery’s work spanned collaborations with artists like Lucian Freud and Marina Abramović, and his extreme fashions continue to inspire designers such as Rick Owens and John Galliano.
He is also frequently invoked as a queer culture icon at LGBTQ+ club nights and on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
The show features artworks by Bowery’s friends and peers, including portraits by Lucian Freud, garments from his archive, films, postcards, sketches, letters, magazines, and numerous photographs.
Tate Modern celebrates Leigh Bowery
It follows his story from his arrival in London in 1980, fresh out of fashion college, through his entry to the scene, his impact on clubland, his work with choreographer Michael Clark, and his shift into performance.
The exhibition is the largest collection of Bowery’s extraordinary costumes—more than 50—to go on display, showcasing their gritty, surreal glamour. The Tate has worked with Bowery’s wife, Nicola Rainbird, and various friends, and the show feels like a long-awaited outpouring of love and respect. One of the most revealing moments in the exhibition is excerpts from the BBC’s mainstream fashion program “The Clothes Show,” where Bowery, in full flowered mask and dress, appears completely at home.
It’s clear that the master of outrage could charm all the grannies in the world out of the trees when he wanted to. Three decades after his death, Bowery’s unique impact continues to challenge conventional definitions within the art and fashion industries. The Tate Modern’s exhibition is a compelling case for Bowery as one of the most original artists of the 20th century.