You close your eyes but the vibrant colour remains on the inside of your eyelids, swirling and pulsing. When you open them again it is to a panel of fluorescent lips on the wall, their bright colour dripping down. The white teeth contrasted between them make you imagine someone biting down into the flesh of an exotic fruit, or into a neck perhaps, like a technicolour vampire. There is a cocktail in your hand; you don’t know what’s in it, exactly, but it is vibrant and fruity with a plush lemon spread alluringly on the edge of the glass. The edible colour reminds you of the artwork on the wall. You move through the crowd to stare back at the captivating gaze of a photographed girl, her arms half-raised in bashfulness or an attempt at being coy, as technicolour tears roll down her cheeks. Her glowing eyes and the smooth lines of hair on her forehead hold your attention; you wonder who she is, and is she this captivating as she goes about her day? Or was it just the photographer who captured her in this extraordinary moment as she boldly stared down the camera.

Her neighbour on the wall is another girl, mascara smeared and her plush lips parted in ecstasy. She, too, has colour smeared down her face, but this time it is just the stark black of running mascara. It is the face of some delicious temptress in satin that you meet at a party when she doesn’t have time to take her makeup off after you bring her home. Her delicate, curled hands frame the lower half of her face, tangled in her cloud of soft pink hair.

For a moment you are distracted from Marko Stout’s work by a girl next to you – a real girl, although she looks like she belongs in one of these erotic nightmare photos. She plucks a cherry from her cocktail and sucks it clean, and you swear you can hear the “pop” it makes when her lips set it free. The cherry glistens, and you mentally take a photo of this moment – her luminescent skin, the golden glitter lining her eyes, the artificially bright red of the cherry between her fingers. This is what the artist has captured successfully. One day, perhaps, you will have the skill to keep her on your canvas forever. It is a possessive urge, but this is one of the luxuries that is afforded by art. The alluring moment ends almost as soon as it began, as the crowd moves to obscure her, and your attention is caught by a series of three canvases which have gathered quite the observant crowd.

You wade through the sea of people’s bodies cloaked in satin, silk and velvet, and stand looking up at the new object of your interest. On sweet bubble-gum pink, a model’s perky black rabbit ears stand at attention. It is at once coquettish and bold. She integrates perfectly with the thrumming of experimental music in the background; a combination that makes you feel drunker than you are.  Another sip of the beautiful drink in your hand, and the smooth sugar syrup slides down your throat almost too easily. The girl with the cherry has disappeared, and the cherry has no doubt now been crushed into tiny sweet pieces and swallowed, or left at the bottom of the glass with the distant memory of her tongue. The music in the background makes it feel as if the room has a heartbeat; a living, breathing neon entity.

It is easy to imagine the room as one blurred instant of color; leather, leopard print, the metallic sheen of silk, all flowing through the galleries from canvas to canvas. Like exotic hummingbirds tasting the nectar of flower after flower; humanity draw in helplessly by the allure of a single moment captured so perfectly in time and then used as a canvas. The vibe of one moment captured perfectly, to look at forever.

CHECK OUT SOME RECENT COOL EXHIBITION PICS

"I'm Very Excited for Marko Stout's Solo Exhibition!!" - Keeping Up With The Kardashians (Caitlyn Jenner)

"Marko Stout is a Freaking Genius! His Art is Fabulous!!" - Charlie Sheen (Actor) 

 "Marko Stout is an Artist Extraordinaire! Exceptional!!" - Katie Couric (ABC News, The Today Show)

"I Love Marko Stout's Work! I'm A Fan!!" - Bravo TV: Million Dollar Listing LA (Madison Hildebrand)

"Marko Stout's Exhibition is Fantastic! I'm a Fan!!" - ABC TV: Shark Tank (Mr Wonderful; O Kevin O’Leary)

"I'm A Huge Art Fan of Marko Stout! Love Your Work!! It's Amaz-Balls!!" - Carson Kressley (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) 

"Vibrant Aesthetic, Modern Rock-Chic Edge!" - Entrepreneur Magazine

"Marko Stout is Cool, Sexy & Chic!" - Today Show (NBC)

"Marko Stout is Dark, Gritty and Raw!" - Chicago Tribune

"Charisma, Uniqueness and Nerve!! and Talent!!!" - Shangela (RuPaul's Drag Race 

"I'm Also a Big Fan of Marko Stout!! His Art is So Cool!!" - NSYNC (Lance Bass)

"Check Out My Good Buddy Marko Stout! He's An Awesome Artist! His Stuff Really Rocks!!" - Vince Neil (Mötley Crüe - Lead Singer)