04/19/2026
DESIRE, DISCIPLINE, AND THE THEATER OF POWER—MAKE AMERICA KINKY AGAIN (MAKA)
TRIPTYCH, DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION
THE BODY AS A PORTAL
Per - "I'm super proud to be selected to be part of LE SALON DES REFUSES PECHE EXHIBITION this year curated by here's a brilliant write up of my new MAKA prints."
Michelle Mildenhall’s Make America Kinky Again (MAKA) unfolds as something initially playful—sleek black silhouettes posed in latex against the graphic immediacy of the American flag. The figures strike dominant stances that oscillate between pin-up, superhero, and do******ix. But beneath this visual seduction lies a precise dismantling of power, nationalism, and erotic performance. What first reads as flirtation quickly reveals itself as critique. Seduction becomes strategy. Style becomes language. Here, kink is not a provocation. It is a syntax of authority.
Michelle Mildenhall, a UK-based artist known for utilizing latex as both subject and visual language, as well as for her sharp visual economy and satirical fluency, constructs each composition with disciplined restraint: flat color fields, surgical contrast, and the assertive geometry of the flag itself. These are not atmospheric spaces. They are theatrical stages. The body does not dissolve into background. It stands against ideology, framed by it.
We love this triptych. Read more about MAKA and Michelle's work in the link in our bio to access the free online art catalog!
