“How are you feeling?” Jess asks kindly.
“I feel ready and already so beautiful!” the model replies, her eyes sparkling with confidence.
Together, we step into the bright gallery room filled with a pleasant buzz of conversation. The three of us have been preparing for this moment upstairs in the Pink Palace, sharing kind, encouraging words. It’s all led to this point. Standing in the centre of the gallery, we pause, take one deep breath, and let the magic begin.
The friendly chatter quiets as glitter begins to flow across the model’s right shoulder. All eyes follow Mad Dame’s hands as she applies the glitter, covering every inch of the model’s bare body. At first, there’s a restrained air in the room. Even for me, as a woman, there’s a brief hesitation—a societal whisper that looking at a naked body feels taboo. But the model’s confidence changes everything. Her presence invites us to look, to witness. Through the lens of my camera, I see the beauty unfold.
The gallery falls silent, save for the sound of glitter pouring and soft breaths of awe. Phones rise to record, preserving the magic to share and relive. When the last fleck of glitter finds its place, the audience’s hesitance fades. They draw closer, invited by Mad Dame’s warm smile and the model’s regal presence. She meets their eyes, her expression saying, “Don’t be afraid to look. My confidence is overflowing, and there’s plenty to share.” Compliments flow, filling her even more.
Back in the Pink Palace, we regroup, energised and glowing from the experience. “How do you feel?” we ask each other, exchanging smiles and meaningful words. The room’s atmosphere shifts again as new visitors arrive. “Welcome to the Pink Palace! Don’t be scared; come in and take up space!”
A woman enters, visibly moved by the performance. “This looks incredible, and you look gorgeous!” she says, awestruck. As the room fills, conversations spark about the art, the performance, and Mad Dame’s work. I chat with a visitor who can’t take her eyes off the model.
“I could never do that,” she confesses. “I’d feel too exposed.”
“But do you realise,” I say gently, “that during this whole conversation, she’s still naked? Just covered in glitter.”
Her eyes widen. “I completely forgot,” she says, laughing softly. “I was too focused on the beauty of it all.”
And that’s the essence of Mad Dame’s art: creating power and leaving us all a little more connected to ourselves and each other.
Candid photos by Alex Pomnikov
Muse: Cinder