LEIGH BOWERY
BilbaoArte. From June 15th to September 18th 2002. Bilbao.
Leigh Bowery (Sunshine, Australia, 1961 - London, 1994) is an exceptional case in the recent history of art. A leading London “club scene” figure in the 1980’s and 90’s who went further than just “dressing up” to dignify it as an art form with his performances. Wrapped in his gowns, his body represented his own conception of corporal aesthetics, beauty and his particular way of understanding art, fun, elegance, sex, gender and sexuality,…
The London "underground club scene" towards the end of the 70’s and beginning of the 80’s was characterised by the whole generation’s need to be different, of having the liberty with which to gender-cross and experiment with sexuality and that unmistakable air of nasty rebellion inherited from the Punk movement against the prevailing morale. Many of the ideas in fashion and plastic arts that have been transformed and exist today first saw the light of day back then and the 90’s club culture that has become so popular with young people is inspired by them. In turn, the freshness and freedom to mix disciplines and explore new frontiers, so typical of the current club culture and of which Leigh Bowery was a forerunner, have become noteworthy reference points and influence for new generations of artists.
In London, Leigh Bowery was already a star by the beginnings of the 80’s and his appearance in clubs every night became a sort of performance of which, luckily, some documentary evidence still remains. Leigh formed part of a troupe of "clubbers", amongst which were Rifat Ozbeck, Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Pierre et Gilles, Boy George, Marc Almond, Princess Julia, Rachel Auburn, Nick Knight and a long etcetera of outstanding personalities of contemporary culture. Leigh always stood out. On one hand, because he had found the way to transcend his night life and dignify “dressing up” as an art form, something quite common in clubbers of both sexes, and, on the other, because of the way he would dress. He was literally a hurricane and would do exactly the opposite to everyone else, displaying what others used to hide and hiding what was normally shown. Leigh Bowery’s body represented his peculiar conception of aesthetics, beauty and his way of understanding art, fun, elegance, sex, gender and sexuality. As his belly became more prominent, so he gave it a more prominent role and would make gowns and body images taken from his own anatomic dimensions, so far removed from standardly accepted measurements. Leigh deformed, stretched and doubled different parts of himself up in his quest for interesting shapes because he liked to question the ideas people had about bodies. Later, Leigh carved himself a niche in the art world and prestigious galleries, such as Anthony d'Doffay, or centres of contemporary art, such as The Serpentine Gallery, welcomed his, by then, mythical performances. The portraits that such prestigious photographers as Annie Leibovitz and Nick Knight took of him also became famous. He collaborated as wardrobe designer, and sometimes even as an actor, in the stagings of dancer Michael Clark and, above all else, became notorious for his relationship with the brilliant painter, Lucien Freud, for whom he posed as a model. In the final stage of his life, he formed a group called Minty in which he sang and danced naked or dressed and with which he created the famous performance in which he “gave birth” to his friend, wife and assistant, Nicola Bowery. Whilst with Minty, he also launched a single, called “Useless Man”, which reached Number 1 in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, Leigh died without learning of the success of his record and the tremendous influence he had left behind for young artists and the great fashion designers of today. Recently, Galliano, Westwood and Gaultier have stated that Bowery was a genius cutting and sewing patterns and have spoken words of praise about his extraordinary gowns. Leigh Bowery created fabulous gowns and body images with individual names, such as “Tutu Head” or “Black Fetish”, which permanently defied standard canons. All his pieces of clothing merit special attention since their cut and shape place Leigh among the great clothes designers of his time.
At the beginning of the year 2002, London’s West End praised the figure of Bowery in the musical show “Taboo”, named after the mythical club that Leigh ran in the 1980’s, and whose score was written by Boy George. In July, the ICA and Tate Modern dedicated exhibitions and conference cycles about him.
Leigh Bowery lived on the edge, but celebrated his living outside normal conventions every time he could; the “joy” with which he celebrated his “difference” is what best defines his work. His work, his legacy, that Nicola Bowery guards with devotion and care, and which has so kindly placed at our disposal for this retrospective exhibition, is a true exercise in freedom and creativity.
Xabier Arakistain. Exhibition curator.
