CLOWN began with the idea of wearing makeup as jewellery.

Inspired by the theatrical makeup found in Alexander McQueen’s archive collections, Shinzato translated the exaggerated features of a clown’s face into a wearable mask.

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The work explores a beauty found in imperfection and deterioration. Swarovski crystals are densely arranged at the centre of the mask before gradually dispersing towards its edges, as though the surface is beginning to fall apart. Similarly, the white-painted leather fades towards the perimeter, exposing its raw, skin-toned surface beneath.

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The leather is bound together with cord, introducing a slightly surgical quality to the piece. Through the contrast between crystal and exposed leather, decoration and damage, CLOWN transforms makeup into something physical — an adornment that is at once beautiful, fragile and unsettling.