B.LOWE Hair and Art Space in Brisbane’s Hamilton is more than a salon or gallery. For founder Buckley Lowe, it reflects a life shaped by hardship, reinvention and creativity.
Buckley, now both a hairstylist and gallery director, grew up far from Queensland. Born in Lancashire, England, in 1971, his childhood was defined by hardship. He was born with a club foot, requiring three operations before he could walk at the age of four. Home life was complicated, with parents much older than those of his peers and a father who struggled with alcoholism. “I suffered a lot of abuse, emotionally and mentally,” he says. “I think he resented me a lot.”
School was no escape. Buckley gravitated towards the “naughty kids”, where he felt most comfortable. As a teenager, he endured trauma most adults never face. Losing friends to tragedy, accusations of involvement, threats to his own life, and being confined to his home by police for 18 months. “It was crazy stuff … sniffing glue, smoking dope, amphetamines. But it felt normal to me,” he says, leaning back with a half-smile.
Art remained a constant. While struggling with anxiety and insomnia, creating gave him purpose. In the late 1980s, when Britain’s acid house scene exploded, Buckley was deeply immersed in its culture. Alongside hairdressing, his chosen profession, he sold recreational drugs to sustain the lifestyle. He describes drugs and alcohol as his chance to fit in.
But the law caught up with him. Police arrested him after he and his friends stole shoes from a shop, then raided his home and found drugs. A judge sentenced him to two and a half years in juvenile detention, but he served nine months and returned to old habits.
“From the moment I was old enough to drink, it all went downhill,” he says. “I knew it was wrong, but it made me feel like me.”
The years of alcohol and drug use took a brutal toll. Later, Buckley’s spleen ruptured due to pancreatitis brought on by drinking, an ordeal that nearly killed him. Yet survival became the pivot point for change.
Reinvention in Australia
In the 1990s, Buckley built a career as a hairstylist in the UK and abroad, working in fashion and music. His last major job, styling for a well-known English rock band during their final album, left him disappointed after he was not paid. Seeking a reset on his career and lifestyle, he moved to Australia in 2014.
“I needed down time,” he says. “I wanted to reconnect with people outside of the industry, the general public.”
Starting in a small salon, Buckley rebuilt his craft. After two years, he finally pursued an idea he had envisioned for 20 years: a hybrid space combining hairdressing, art and live creativity. That vision became B.LOWE Hair and Art Space, a salon and gallery that reflects his belief that art should belong to everyone, not just the wealthy.
Buckley also launched LOLT, Life on Life’s Terms, an art exhibition that provided a platform for emerging artists while raising money for children’s mental health. The name echoes Buckley’s own journey of embracing uncertainty and finding strength in struggle.
“When I arrived here, Brisbane’s art scene felt very divided,” he says. “You had the student scene, and then very high-end work, but nothing in between. I’ve always believed everyone should be able to own a piece of art.” LOLT closed that gap. By its most recent show, the exhibition was attracting thousands of visitors and raising around $60,000 for mental health charities.
In 2025, Buckley expanded his vision into Plumridge House in Fortitude Valley, a heritage-listed former chocolate factory he reimagined as a creative hub. Partnering with Hilary Day and the owner of Plumridge House, he launched “This Is The One,” a three-storey exhibition showcasing local and international artists. The program rotates every three months and is already a fixture in Brisbane’s art scene.
“It’s not just about displaying art,” he says. “It’s about creating a connection between artists, audiences and the community.”
Today, Buckley balances scissors and canvases, colour work and curation. B.LOWE Hair and Art Space has become both a community hub and a platform for creativity. His story is not polished or linear: it is raw, messy and deeply human.
From the chaos of his youth to the calm of his Brisbane gallery, Buckley has lived a life on life’s terms.
