Leigh Bowery
Who is Leigh Bowery? Of sufficient stature to be given a posthumous exhibition at London’s Tate Modern, this Australian-born artist may yet be little known among younger generations in his country of birth (and burial). Yet Bowery’s legacy continues to influence international artists and performers today. In true Bowery spirit, VAULT spoke to Tate curator Fiontán Moran for a peep behind the curtain into the exhibition set to premiere at Tate Modern in February 2025.
Image credit: Fergus Greer, Leigh Bowery Session I Look 2, 1988, colour photography, C-type print, dimensions variable. Courtesy Michael Hoppen Gallery © Fergus Greer
‘Gone but unforgettable’ seems a fitting characterisation of the surreal, strange and chameleon-like qualities of artist/performer Leigh Bowery. Born in suburban Sunshine outside Melbourne in 1961, he studied fashion at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) before moving to London aged 19.
By 1983, Bowery had performed at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, and in 1984 showed his clothing designs in New York and Japan. His ‘club’ performance debut followed and in 1985 Bowery established his own club, Tattoo, in Leicester Square. Despite its memorable, iconic and adrenaline-fuelled reputation, it lasted only a year. Soon, Bowery became known as an artist, model, TV personality, club promoter, fashion designer and musician.
London’s Independent magazine records Bowery’s memories of the time (quoted in Dr Sarah Engledow for the National Portrait Gallery): "There was a lot of peer pressure. It was a kind of race to see who could become famous first. Everyone reinvented themselves constantly. I imagined I was going to be the Cecil Beaton of my generation".
Bowery’s legacy lies in his ability to defy convention. His body was a canvas for makeup, clothing and sculpture; he challenged all the norms of his era – decorum, aesthetics, sexuality and gender. He was a serial collaborator with other artists, dancers and performers, and became the muse and model for realist painter Lucian Freud.
His genius for reinvention has ricocheted, despite his early death in 1994, aged only 33. His influence is visible in the shape-shifting performances of Lady Gaga and Boy George, in the design, fashion and art of Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano, ... Subscribe to read all articles in full
