"Nothing could have prepared me for the excitement I felt when I saw Bowery perform for the first time. In this series of performances, he was aiming to envelope his audience in sensations, to stimulate and challenge sight, smell and sound as much as possible." – Fergus Greer

To celebrate the opening of Leigh Bowery! At Tate Modern, Michael Hoppen Gallery are delighted to announce an exhibition of portraits by photographer Fergus Greer, shot over the course of his six-year relationship with Bowery. Renowned for his performances, which blended design, dance, music and club culture, these photographs reveal Bowery’s creative vision at its most forcefully iconic. The show will include a selection of early vintage silver gelatin prints from 1988-1994; shown alongside large colour works.

The photographs illustrate perfectly Bowery’s extraordinary performance and costumes and whilst they are isolated in the studio they were shot in, away from the vibrant London he inhabited, it is only by studying these recorded details that we are able to fully appreciate what an extraordinary human being Leigh Bowery really was.

"Leigh Bowery’s legacy, in part, lies in our collaboration, and in the record we produced together of his art. I hope the result of our work captures something of the creative genius of this ebullient much loved artist and friend." – Fergus Greer

Fergus Greer was born in England and studied at St Martin’s School of Art, before refining his photographic practice through training with Richard Avedon and Terence Donovan. During his diverse freelance career, Greer has also published a book of photographs he shot as an officially accredited war artist working in Kosovo during the Yugoslav Conflict, and contributing covers to British and American publications such as the Sunday Times Magazine. His work is held in the permanent collection of institutions including the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery of Victoria.