Thirty years after his passing, Leigh Bowery, the flamboyant force of queer culture, is back in the spotlight with a striking retrospective at Tate Modern. More than an exhibition, it’s an immersive journey into a world where art, fashion, and performance merge into a radical statement of freedom.
Born in Australia in 1961, Bowery arrived in London at 19 and revolutionized the nightlife scene with his outrageous style and subversive performances. His club Taboo became the epicenter of a generation hungry for excess and raw creativity. More than just a club kid, Bowery transformed his body into a canvas, playing with gender and grotesque aesthetics, influencing icons like Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, and Boy George.
The exhibition brings together a multitude of extravagant costumes, polaroids, flyers, and visual memorabilia that trace his indelible impact on art and fashion. Visitors will also find Lucian Freud’s portraits of Bowery, for whom he served as both muse and model, alongside excerpts from his legendary performances, including the infamous Birthing at Kinky Gerlinky.
With this retrospective, Tate Modern does not merely celebrate an artist—it highlights a raw energy and audacity that extend beyond the confines of the exhibition space. Leigh Bowery! is an invitation to embrace excess, push boundaries, and celebrate a vision where art and life are inseparable.
Leigh Bowery! is on view at Tate Modern until October 31.
Tate Modern Bankside, London SE1 9TG, UK 🌐 www.tate.org.uk
This article was inspired by a story originally published in Shangay magazine, the leading LGBTQIA+ publication in Spain.
You may also like
-
Fall in Love, Not in Line: Liège’s Queer Tea Dance Turns Sunday into a Crush Party
The first LGBTQIA+ Tea-Dance of 2026 in Liège isn’t here for your Sunday blues –
-
Love Is Messy, Red and Queer: Step Into Brussels’ Most Decadent Cabaret Night
If your love life currently oscillates between missed calls, mascara stains on someone else’s collar
-
Four Queer Chaos Queens You Need in Your Life (and in Your Watchlist)
If your queer February mood board is equal parts heartbreak, identity crises and unhinged laughter,
-
Trump 2.0 Meets a Queerer TV: Are Our Stories Being Written Out?
At the very moment LGBTQ+ rights are under renewed attack in the United States, queer
-
Queens of Joy: Ukrainian Drag, Queer Resistance and Why Our Solidarity Still Matters
As Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine drags into another year, Ukrainian drag artists and queer
English 
Français de Belgique 
Nederlands (België)