Acclaimed multimedia artist Rachel Maclean has created a vivid TV drama examining women’s role in society, and their depiction in art history. Make Me Up blends her surreal, pop aesthetic with comedic and subversive storytelling, questioning whether in a neoliberal system women can ever truly be equal?

Make Me Up is a dark game show set in a saccharine institution, run by a mysterious diva who speaks with the voice of art historian Kenneth Clark. She presides over a congregation of voiceless women who’s every move is tracked and captured cutesy eyeball cameras. We follow Siri, a new arrival as she attempts to navigate and understand this harsh environment. Aided by fellow inmate Alexa she looks for ways to undermine the system, eventually discovering the sinister truth that underpins their world.

Co-produced by Hopscotch Films and NVA, Make Me Up is a major commission for 14-18 NOW and the BBC and also forms part of Represent, a series of artworks inspired by the Representation of the People Act 1918. While the act gave the vote only to women over 30, Represent invites young female artists to explore democracy, equality and inclusion in contemporary Britain. Represent is commissioned by 14-18 NOW and supported by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

Make Me Up will be screened in cinemas and broadcast on BBC4 in autumn.

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