Artist: Liz Payne
Year: 2026
Location: Bowery Theatre & St Albans Community Centre, 33 Princess Street, St Albans
The Leigh Bowery Mural celebrates the life and legacy of Leigh Bowery through a bold, highly detailed composition. Installed on the façade of the Bowery Theatre and St Albans Community Centre, the design brings together a vibrant collage of colour, pattern and texture that energises the site.
The mural features 11 distinct illustrations of Bowery, dispersed across the surface to showcase his diverse silhouettes, theatrical costumes and striking makeup. These figures are embedded within custom repeat patterns of polka dots, sequins and textile-inspired textures, creating a layered and tactile visual effect.
Symbolic details such as scissors, sewing pins, zips and pearls reference Bowery’s craftsmanship and love of embellishment, while recurring stars and eyes add rhythm and visual continuity. The combination of hand-drawn, painted and digital elements reflects a merging of traditional and contemporary techniques.
Visually impactful from a distance, the mural reveals intricate details up close, encouraging exploration and engagement. Through its kaleidoscopic mix of prints, textures and forms, the design celebrates experimentation, individuality and creative expression.
About the artist
Liz Payne is an artist and designer from Sydney, exploring the intersection between art, craft and design in her pursuit of blending tradition with innovation. A question of perception and expectation is a considered component explored not only through her choice of material but the expectations of life and the traditions of the every day and there is always a pursuit of breaking the rules from the predicable and conventional.
Selected in awards including The Wollongong Art Prize, The Blake Prize, The Alice Prize, The Fishers Ghost Art Award and the Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award, Liz has also collaborated with brands including Gorman, Coopers and Oatly.