BOWERY, Leigh; MORAN, Fiontán (ed.)
Leigh Bowery!

Leigh Bowery used performance to explore questions around the politics of the body, and its use as both material and a site of transformation. He was also fascinated by the subversive potential of costume as sculpture.

This comprehensive monograph on the boundary-pushing career of artist, performer, model, TV personality, club promoter, fashion designer and musician, is published to accompany a major exhibition at Tate Modern; it features over 200 images by and of the artist – spanning an eclectic and dynamic career which included fashion photography, club polaroids, film stills, paintings, postcards, and ephemera. In addition to Bowery’s own works, the book also includes paintings of the artist by Lucian Freud, and works made with and about Bowery by Stephen Willats and Trojan Barnes, among others. A visual inventory of all of Bowery’s costumes, held by the artist’s estate, has been newly photographed – published here for the first time. [publishers’ note]

With additional contributions from Marina Abramovic, Ron Athey, Jessica Baxter, Hamish Bowles, Les Child, Michael Clark, Fergus Greer, Margery King, Gregor Muir, Nicola Rainbird, Prem Sahib, Sue Tilley, Baillie Walsh, McKenzie Wark, Stephen Willats, Catherine Wood, and Cerith Wyn Evans.

Published by Tate, 2025
Design by Fraser Muggeridge Studio
Exhibition Catalogues / Queer Culture / Performance