BabySkinGlove is a group unique in the performance art circuit for its devotion to glamour, spectacle, and larger-than-life personas.
Whether appearing as inspirational ballet students one night or abused country superstars the next, their trail of trashed camp and digital detritus pushes the NYC counterculture continuum into farther territory.
Their performances recall Jack Smith’s hermetic drag culture and the iconoclastic identity play of No Wave cinema—though precedents become difficult to define when a group mutates so fluidly.
As a collective, their polymorphous perversity knows no bounds. Historical eras are inverted, and outdated constructs like gender are left behind entirely.
Audiences are drawn into the group dynamic almost involuntarily, while the cult-like charisma of their leader, Bailey Catherine Dorothea Nolan, suggests total control.
Through every transformation, her vision remains the constant.
Interview
What is the goal of BabySkinGlove?
“Someday time travel will be as passé as home phones, but in the meantime, there’s BabySkinGlove.
Ultimately, transportation is my goal—a full-body motion from one real space to another psychic space. I want to remove every viewer from that cold, hard gallery chair and drop them directly into another reality.
BabySkinGlove is like the Internet—both in its after-effect and its complicated definition.
I want to erase all things definitive—time, gender, structure—and create space where people can think about what they don’t want to think about… or not think at all.
Eventually, BabySkinGlove will exist everywhere—culturally, commercially, mythically.
But in the meantime, I want a private jet and a house big enough to give each cat a bedroom.”
What do you consider your most ambitious actions?
“Being a woman is still radical.
I live in a constant state of truth and don’t bend my ideals for anyone.
BabySkinGlove is total exposure—everything laid bare.
I’m interested in what exists on the edges: the destitute, the lonely, the yearning, the drag.
I want to speak a language that isn’t easily recognized—but is immediately understood.”
What role does glamour play in performance art?
“All performance is expressed through the body.
How you decorate your body is the equivalent of what a painter does on canvas.
Glamour is a state of mind.
I’ve never been rich, but I exist in a constant state of richness.
Presenting yourself as someone with money is the same as being someone with money.
My body is part of the work—and I invite you to interpret it.”
How does your work relate to your peers?
“A few years ago, BabySkinGlove hired a limo and abducted artists like Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch.
At one point, something clicked—I realized I was cosmically connected to the artists I admire.
Like them, I feel a responsibility to pursue artistic perfection.
I admire many artists—Raul de Nieves, Ann Liv Young, Colin Self—and of course, my own collective.
They are the foundation of everything I create.”
What inspires BabySkinGlove?
“Google Images is my homepage—my inspiration is infinite.
Right now: Miss Piggy, the forestry industry, extreme layering, female country stars, red food, Anne Geddes, corporate marketing.
Everything begins as an image—then evolves into something multidimensional.
Recently, I’ve been deeply connected to my whale spirit animal.
I’m drawn to things too large to hold—especially bodies of water.”
At your performances, you take on a guide-like role. Why?
“I had my aura read—I have dominant energy.
We’re all just energy exchanging particles.
Performance is about crowd control, but also about activating people.
During performances, I separate from my everyday self and access something higher.
In that sense, I become a guide.”
Is your work a parody of self-help culture?
“Nothing I do is parody.
I’m not mocking—I’m responding.
Art helps people just like therapy or reading.
My work is a tool for transformation.
In a way, I’m studying the art of self-help.”
What is your concept of utopia?
“Imagine Person A tells Person B that a white floor is blue.
Normally, Person B disagrees.
But if Person A builds a relationship—shares experiences, creates trust—then Person B begins to see differently.
In utopia, BabySkinGlove is always Person A.”
Do you want a mass audience?
“I dream of larger reach, of course.
But I’m focused on personal interaction.
My most powerful performances happen in intimate spaces.
Still, I wouldn’t mind being a reality TV star.
In the end, I want to leave a lasting impression on everyone I encounter.”
What’s next for BabySkinGlove?
“I’ve been researching a group of women who have lived in isolation since 1853, mourning the death of Cardinal birds.
I’m developing a museum exhibition around their culture.
I’m also working on zodiac-based fashion using custom red wool dyes.
And I’m collaborating on a new immersive project in Bushwick.
And, as always—I’m working on my cult.”
