At Szilveszter Makó’s Surrealist Bauhaus Ballet, Banks Feels Right at Home
When Banks closes her eyes and pictures a visual world for her music, it looks a lot like Szilveszter Makó’s art. “It’s very whimsical; there’s an eeriness and a darkness to it,” the singer explains of the Hungarian photographer’s painterly aesthetic. “It’s sexy, but it’s a bit odd. It feels intimate, and there’s a lot of depth in every single image.”
We’re gathered in a makeshift green room at New York’s Iron23, where Makó’s exhibition, Bauhaus Ballet, will soon be unveiled to a small group of exclusive guests. Banks—a few hours out from performing at the private dinner—has been thinking a lot lately about art. “I’m writing again, I’m feeling very inspired,” she says. The 38-year-old star is freshly postpartum, having just given birth to her daughter, Navy, in the spring. This marks her first performance since becoming a mom, and serendipitously, she’s been feeling particularly drawn to Makó’s surrealist realm.
Bauhaus Ballet—presented by Capital One and The Cultivist—is an immersive exhibition that transforms Makó’s dreamy, vaguely melancholic vision into an interactive, multi-room experience, featuring new original portraits of Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody and Emmy-nominated actor Gwendoline Christie, along with a collection of past works.
Upon arrival, guests were handed champagne from headless arms sticking out of the black entryway walls. The first room was filled with intricately adorned playhouses, with an imposing mirror structure that let attendees see themselves alongside the sculptures. The next space had a collection of designer garments previously used in Makó’s work, from a contorted Victorian-inspired Marc Jacobs dress worn by Elle Fanning to John Galliano’s personal suit. Other rooms invited guests to step into life-size Makó paintings, via interactive, selfie-ready sets and fantastical painted props.
Attendees like Brody, Jordan Clarkson, Katie Holmes, Julia Fox, and Bhavitha Mandava explored the winding venue before sitting down for a dinner by chef Jeremy Salamon and an intimate performance by Banks. For the occasion, the singer—known for her atmospheric synths and controlled, electronic vocals—wore a black Christopher Esber dress with a gaping hip cutout, with a gauzy veil affixed for added edge.
Despite its off-kilter elements, the exhibition pulses with references to Hungarian folklore and Makó’s childhood memories—something Banks, a new mom, feels drawn to. “Childhood is everything. It forms you,” she reflects. “In adulthood, you’re probably trying to get as close to being back at your purest child self as you can. So being at an exhibit that honors childhood is a really special way to enter back into this world.”
Bauhaus Ballet will be open to the public from September 10-12. See more from the opening event below.
