Leigh Bowery Receives An Appropriately Extravagant Retrospective At Tate Modern
The exhibition provides an immersive glimpse into the provocative life of the once-in-a-generation artist.
It’s an entirely impossible feat to capture the extraordinarily outrageous life of Leigh Bowery, but a retrospective at Tate Modern feels like an honorable place to start. Bowery was a larger than life figure who permeated all aspects of modern culture, even still to this day. From performance artist to club promoter to model, Bowery’s wild eclecticism escaped all formal boundaries of definition.
Bowery initially rose to fame as a club promoter and underground performance artist in 1980s London, among other things, working the door for the short-lived but infamous nightclub Taboo. Known as one of the hardest doors and hottest places to be, Bowery, alongside a generation of club kids, cultivated a defiant art scene that did not flinch in the face of their political context.
For the first time ever, Tate Modern is providing an immersive glimpse into the multifaceted artist’s life. Curated in partnership with Nicola Rainbird, director and owner of the Estate of Leigh Bowery, the retrospective aims to provide fresh insights into Leigh’s renegade life in late 1980s London and early 90s New York. It will also feature other countercultural icons, including Lady Bunny, Boy George, Princess Julia, Les Child, and Sue Tilly.
Bowery’s life wasn’t only confined to images. The Leigh Bowery! also displays a selection of his infamous fashion designs, many of which have impacted some of the world’s greatest designers including Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. Tate Modern describes the exhibition as “a rare chance to experience many of Bowery’s ‘Looks’ alongside his collaborations with artists including Michael Clark, John Maybury, Baillie Walsh, Fergus Greer, Nick Knight, and Lucian Freud.”
Though it’s difficult to encapsulate Bowery’s wildly diverse portfolio of provocative, and even sometimes aggressive, performance, Leigh Bowery! works to honor the artist’s lifetime and indisputable impact.
Leigh Bowery! is on view at Tate Modern from now until August 31.
