The Radical Life of Leigh Bowery at the Tate Modern

Words by

Lara Finn

27th February 2025

Tate Modern’s ‘Leigh Bowery!’ exhibition celebrates the boundary-pushing icon’s radical impact on art, fashion, and club culture. Through immersive installations, visitors explore Bowery's provocative creativity, from his early DIY style to his controversial performances, challenging conventional norms and redefining self-expression.

An art exhibition showcasing bold, theatrical fashion designs and photographs on a red wall. Mannequins dressed in eccentric costumes are displayed in the centre of the room, surrounded by vintage photographs and colourful lighting that creates a vibrant and immersive atmosphere

Leigh Bowery! exhibition at the Tate Modern featuring some of Bowery's iconic looks
© Tate Photography Larina Annora Fernandes

Tate Modern invites you into the world of Leigh Bowery, a man whose life was as much a canvas as it was a stage. Running from 27 February to 31 August 2025, the exhibition “Leigh Bowery!” is a bold celebration of an avant-garde creative. This exhibition was created in collaboration with Nicola Rainbird, the Director and owner of the Estate of Leigh Bowery who also married him. His controversial originality reshaped nightlife culture and his designs left a lasting legacy that can still be seen today.

Shaping an identity

Leigh Bowery Tate Modern - A close-up of two individuals in dramatic, colorful costumes and makeup. One wears a yellow headpiece with glittering accents, while the other sports a red and white costume with exaggerated makeup, contributing to their avant-garde appearance

Leigh Bowery and Nicola Rainbird at the Daisy Chain at the Fridge in January 1988
© Dave Swindells, Daisy Chain at the Fridge Jan '88: Leigh & Nicola 1988 (c) Dave Swindells

From his modest beginnings in Sunshine, a Melbourne suburb, to the heart of London’s underground scene, Bowery’s evolution is as dynamic as it is inspiring. Bowery was described as many things throughout his career; fashion designer, club monster, human sculpture, vaudeville drunkard, modern art on legs, however he rejected these labelling’s as that meant he had conformed. His early aspirations, to ‘learn relentlessly, embrace art, fashion, and literature and wear make-up everyday’ marked the start of his journey and remain true throughout this immersive exhibition. Visitors are offered a rare glimpse into a world where every environment, from a cramped flat to a glittering nightclub, became an arena for performance and reinvention.

The Early Years

Leigh Bowery Tate Modern - Leigh Bowery in extravagant makeup and fashion. The individual wears a green satin dress with feather accents, with bold makeup featuring bright pink eyeshadow, a blue painted drip effect running down their bald head, and a striking orange mouth. The background is a textured neutral colour, adding to the dramatic and avant-garde look of the image

The exhibition allows visitors a chance to step into the intimate space where Bowery’s creative spark was first ignited. In the “Home” section, personal items, early sketches, and garments fashioned on a shoestring budget are showcased alongside Charles Atlas’s evocative video. This installation captures Bowery in his element picking out his outfit with his friend Trojan as they transformed their living space into a capsule of bad taste and extraordinary beauty. Here, the exhibition reveals how Bowery’s humble beginnings set the stage for his later, more audacious exploits. Seeing Bowery at home with his friends I found to be a truly fascinating insight and a highlight of this exhibition.

Club King

Leigh Bowery Tate Modern - A Polaroid photograph of Leigh Bowery, showing him in dramatic clown-like makeup. His face is painted with white and black makeup, with blue streaks dripping from his bald head. The makeup is exaggerated with bold, dark eye shadow and a large, painted smile. Below the image, Leigh Bowery's signature is written in blue crayon. The background includes part of a sign that reads "NIGHTS A WEEK." The photo captures the avant-garde and theatrical essence of Bowery's persona

Polaroid portrait of Leigh Bowery 1986 © Peter Paul Hartnett / Camera Press

he beating heart of Bowery’s legacy lies in the vibrant club scene of 1980s London. The exhibition’s “Club” segment brings to life the ethos of Taboo—an iconic nightspot co-founded by Bowery, where the invitation was as provocative as it was playful: “Would you let yourself in?” Interactive displays and archival photographs from renowned venues like Heaven’s Cha Cha Club immerse visitors in the world of Bowery and other notable figures such as Scarlett Canon, Boy George and Princess Julia that all emerged on the scene together. Bowery used the club as his catwalk, turning away from mainstream recognition, he created elaborate garments for himself and his friends. This exhibition successfully tells the story of Bowery’s transition from designer to club kid narrated through a tapestry of fashion, performance, and connection.

Bowery’s Catwalk

Leigh Bowery Tate Modern - A colorful, sequined costume by Leigh Bowery featuring a full-body suit with a mask and oversized, fringe-like sleeves in gradient shades of pink, red, and orange. The costume is displayed on a mannequin

Costume Photography 2024 © Tate Photography. Courtesy Leigh Bowery Estate

In the “Catwalk” area, the exhibition celebrates Bowery’s shocking humour and theatricality. His designs as part costume, part performance art are presented not simply as garments, but as statements against conservatism. Through vintage footage and striking visuals, the exhibition reveals how Bowery’s catwalk antics, subverted societal norms, often relying on shock factor while inviting laughter, introspection, and even admiration. A personal favourite was this pink, sequined piece that I believe would still be worn by some today. However, the mask element that features in many of Bowery’s piece’s gives them an unsettling feeling that blurs the line between identity and anonymity which must admit I find unsettling.

Everyday Rebellion Through Fashion

Leigh Bowery Tate Modern - A dramatic black-and-white photograph of Leigh Bowery striking a pose in a full-body, shiny black latex outfit, covering the body, including the head. The outfit features a tight fit with a long, flowing leg, a high heel, and a belt accentuating the waist. The model's silhouette stands out against a stark white background, creating a striking and futuristic appearance

Bowery’s everyday style was as radical as his club looks. In “Street: Hardcore Normcore,” visitors explore the unpolished, rebellious fashion that made him a perpetual subject of discussion and controversy. His everyday look included bad wigs, tatty jumpers and heels in clogs, not to mention his one taped up eyebrow reflecting his desire to look “like the weirdo on the street that you tell your mum about”. Personal photos displayed throughout the exhibition attest to this sentiment. His infamous public performances blurred the lines between art and mischief, every environment was a stage for Bowery. This section truly challenged me to reconsider what is truly ‘normal’ in a world of constantly evolving trends and opinions.

Performance Art

Leigh Bowery Tate Modern - An art exhibition showcasing eccentric, avant-garde fashion designs by Leigh Bowery. The wall features a collection of photographs displaying various extravagant outfits in bright colors and bold textures, while several of the outfits are displayed on the floor and hanging from the ceiling. The outfits and imagery highlight the unique and experimental nature of Bowery's designs, set against a backdrop of industrial architecture

The most intimate encounter with Bowery’s work comes in the “Gallery” installation, involving a setup featuring a large two-way mirror. Modelled on his ground breaking 1988 performance at the Anthony d’Offay Gallery, this space transforms the act of looking into an interactive experience. Performance art played an important role in Bowery’s career and was where he truly evoked shock and outrage. Notable performances include his birth performances during which he strapped Nicola Rainbird to his chest and ‘gave birth’ to her on stage. Bowery and Rainbird would similarly portray other bodily functions in performances which at a time where the AIDS epidemic was at its highest was particularly controversial.

Bowery’s Shift to the Surreal

Leigh Bowery Tate Modern - A close-up of a painted portrait of a man, Leigh Bowery, by artist Lucian Freud. The subject is depicted in a relaxed pose with his head tilted and eyes closed, capturing the raw, textured brushstrokes characteristic of Freud's work. The subject's skin is painted in rich, earthy tones, showing detailed highlights and shadows, emphasising the depth of the figure's face and upper body. The background is simple, providing contrast to the figure.

In the 1990s Bowery moved away from sequins and embellishments to focus on the surreal. These later works created alongside corsetmaker Mr Pearl and his new assistant Lee Benjamin were crafted from foam, stretch fabrics, and latex that contorted the body into otherworldly forms. Bowery also posed for intimate portraits by artist Lucian Freud that captured a side of Bowery devoid of its usual theatricality. These portraits show a different, organic side of Bowery, by stripping him of his makeup and clothes they somehow still convey his desire to break conventions.

Bowery’s Lasting Influence

Leigh Bowery Tate Modern - A black-and-white photograph of Leigh Bowery, wearing an oversized white wig and a distressed, dramatic outfit. He stands in a stark, industrial corridor near an elevator, striking a theatrical pose with his back to the camera. Two figures can be seen walking by in the background, adding to the surreal atmosphere of the image. The contrast between Bowery's extravagant appearance and the mundane setting highlights his avant-garde style.

“Leigh Bowery!” is not just an exhibition but a celebration of defiant self-expression. As multimedia installations curated by DJ Jeffrey Hinton evoke the pulsing energy of Bowery’s club nights, the exhibition closes with a powerful reminder: in Bowery’s world, every boundary was meant to be pushed and every label challenged. Upon reflection I can see how Leigh Bowery’s work has continued to inspire creatives, despite his early passing at 33 from an AIDS-related illness. Maison Margiela has been known to take inspiration from Bowery as recently as John Galliano’s spring 2024 artisanal collection. Bowery’s career encompassed art, fashion, performance and even music leaving behind a reputation that continues to resonate today.

Book your tickets for Leigh Bowery! at the Tate Modern running until 31st August 2025 here for £18 or become a Tate Member to view the exhibition for free.