The legendary Leigh Bowery was many things – an artist, club promoter, fashion designer, and also, to those that knew of his work – a club monster, human sculpture, modern art on legs, a pop surrealist, a nude model, and so on. Now, thirty years after his untimely death from AIDS in 1994, he is being honored with a retrospective, Leigh Bowery! at London’s Tate Modern gallery.

Born in Sunshine, Melbourne, in 1961, Bowery left small-town Australia for London as soon as he could, arriving in 1980, ready to make his mark on the world. Rejecting all forms of classification and identity, he gradually evolved into an extravagant human work of art, using make-up as paint, clothing, and flesh as sculpture and any environment as a stage. London under Thatcher’s Tory government was then rather grey and lacklustre. Bowery, however, was the complete opposite and set out to shock and stimulate everyone in his midst. There wasn’t any effective treatment for AIDS during Bowery’s lifetime, and it may be that in common with many other people, he lived his life at such a fast, prolific pace as he knew he had to cram a lot into a short space of time.

Leigh Bowery! takes us on a colourful romp through his life, told through the eyes of those in his orbit. We learn about the different scenes he ran in – from fashion designer, club promoter, muse, to model to Lucien Freud and performance artist.

We begin in a room full of images and art from the 1980s queer/alternative club scene, together with some of Bowery’s most iconic outfits. His partners in crime – Trojan, Scarlett Cannon, Michael Clark, Boy George, Rachael Auburn etc – also feature here. Films by Baillie Walsh, Charles Atlas and John Maybury add to the energy. Bowery’s 1985 club night Taboo is a big part of the proceedings. We then learn about Bowery’s work in the dance and art worlds, collaborating with Michael Clark on costumes for his shows and sitting as a model for Lucien Freud on several occasions. Bowery and Freud had a shared ap preciation of the combination of paint and flesh, as well as a joint refusal to conform to societal demands, and loved to shock each other. Several of Freud’s works feature, an interesting and calm juxtaposition to the vibrancy of the surrounding photographs of Bowery which include several by Nick Knight. Bowery’s performance art is also detailed, most notably his band Minty which included Bowery ‘giving birth’ on stage to his long-term collaborator Nicola Rainbird. She would burst out of his costume, apparently naked and covered in blood, with a string of sausages resembling her umbilical cord.

The show is a carnival of colour clash, exaggerated forms, studies of the body, shock and awe, and fun. Bowery had a huge range of influences – everyone from the Pakistani women in his East London neighbourhood, to the alt drag and queer performers in New York’s East Village. Bowery was the Pied Piper to a generation of club kids and creatives and the influence of his ten short years as a London scene life force remains huge to this day. It’s a big and busy show, crammed full of colourful art, photography, video, outfits, memorabilia and more. Maybe a little too much tutt in places – we don’t need to see his London Underground travel pass for example. Nevertheless, this is a show about the breadth of creativity a human is capable of. It’s also a time capsule study of a cool offshoot of queer 80s nightlife in London. There’s a lot of talent on show to absorb. Enjoy it.  9/10