2019 marks twenty-five years since the death of iconic performance artist Leigh Bowery, whose short life took in everything from fashion design to pop-star ambitions to filmmaker and muse to Lucien Freud. Known for his outlandish costumes and distinctively wild makeup, Bowery is naturally an eternally engaging subject for photographers, as exemplified in a new show at London’s Michael Hoppen Gallery. The exhibition presents shots by Fergus Greer taken between 1988 and 1994, the year Bowery passed away, and shows not just its ebullient subject, but presents an insight into the distinct aesthetic Bowery propelled into London’s club scene. “No amount of film could fully capture the many facets of Leigh’s art”, says Greer. The gallery adds: “[Greer’s] powerful work gives rich access to the colourful, ever-changing and unpredictable man, and have captured for posterity the inspiration behind Bowery’s improvisation and the chameleon-like nature of his personality.” The show runs from 7 March to 27 April.
