Emerging from London’s vibrant nightclub scene of the 1980s, the life and work of Australian-born performer, TV personality, designer, musician, and artist Leigh Bowery will take center stage at Tate Modern early next year.

Organised in collaboration with Nicola Rainbird, the director and owner of Bowery’s estate, this major exhibition will explore his unconventional life and career, following the Outlaws exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum earlier this year.

Renowned for his flamboyant fashion and daring performances—once even throwing a fresh enema at his audience —Bowery was a pioneering figure in the queer scene of 1980s London, opening his legendary nightclub Taboo in Leicester Square. This exhibition will showcase many of his iconic fashion looks, as well as his collaborations with renowned figures such as Michael Clark, Nick Knight, and Lucian Freud, cementing his place as a subversive yet celebrated cultural icon.

Image: Fergus Greer, “Leigh Bowery Session I Look 2” (1988)© Fergus Greer