February 1954, Korea. The air is biting, the landscape raw. Marilyn Monroe interrupts her honeymoon to head to the front lines, offering the troops a rare moment of humanity. She first appears on stage with an army bomber jacket worn over her outfit. Then, a question that electrifies the crowd: “Do you think I’m going to sing like this?”

 

In a single motion, the jacket falls. Marilyn emerges, ethereal, in a summer cocktail dress, defying the freezing temperatures. It is this transition from shadow to light, from military garment to the radiance of an icon, that Gregory BAÔO brings to life here.

 

Drawn from military archives that remained confidential for decades, this image is the raw perspective of an anonymous soldier. The artist reclaims this moment of truth by encrusting Swarovski crystals onto the dress and jewelry; he does more than just display a photograph—he reignites the fire of that performance. Beneath the crystal facets, a confession is revealed:

 

“I don’t mind living in a man’s world as long as I can be a woman in it.”

 

Through Shining Like a Star, the artist immortalizes this fragment of humanity, just before the scene passes into memory.