A celebration of the boundary-pushing career of artist Leigh Bowery.
Leigh Bowery’s short but extraordinary life left a distinct, undeniable mark on the art world and beyond.
An artist, performer, model, TV personality, club promoter, fashion designer and musician, Bowery took on many different roles, all the while refusing to be limited by convention.
From his emergence in the nightlife of 1980s London through to his later daring and outrageous performances in galleries, theatres, and the street, Bowery fearlessly forged his own vibrant path. He reimagined clothing and makeup as forms of painting and sculpture, tested the limits of decorum, and celebrated the body as a shape-shifting tool with the power to challenge norms of aesthetics, sexuality and gender. Read more on the Tate website here.
For the past 10 years, the Gay Men’s Project was the only pan-London peer support space created by and for gay and bisexual men living with HIV. It offered monthly meetups, one-to-one support, and a community that helped men feel living with HIV to feel seen, supported, and connected. But due to funding cuts, we had to pause the project earlier this year. The project was built on the belief that no one should have to experience their HIV journey alone. Whether newly diagnosed or living with HIV for years, men could access support through a mix of monthly group sessions, one-to-one peer mentoring, and themed workshops. All support was free, confidential, and delivered by trained peer mentors who were HIV positive themselves.
At its heart, the Gay Men’s Project created a space to be seen, understood, and welcomed offering real connection in a world where HIV stigma still persists. Now, we’re working to bring it back, and we need your help.
Costs - The event is free, but any voluntary donations will go towards sustaining the gay group - please donate here.
Meeting point - Tate Modern entrance at 1pm. Bankside, London SE1 9TG, UK
About
Your host - Dan Glass is a multi-award-winning popular educator, author, performer, film presenter, ACT UP activist and sexual and healthcare freedom movement-builder. Activist of the Year, campaigning role model and BBC Greater Londoner, Dan founded ‘Queer Tours of London - A Mince Through Time’, Queer/Trans Muay Thai & Self Defence movement Bender Defenders, re-formed AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) London and founded This is My Culture (TIMC) protest-party. His books ‘United Queerdom from the Legends of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) to the Queers of Tomorrow’ and Queer Footprints - A Guide to Uncovering London's Fierce History are used as roadmaps for freedom across the world. Dan is on the international committee of Training for Transformation and an artist with In Place of War.
Contact - Any questions ask Sarah at sfraser@positivelyuk.org