Steven Retchless Art Transforms Us
Steven Retchless Art Transforms Us. Puerto Vallarta’s LGBTQ+ community knows Steven Retchless as a dazzling performer, a fierce dancer, and the star behind the Britney Spears tribute show at The COCO Cabaret. This season, Steven is also unveiling a more intimate project: a photography series titled Art Transforms Us, an exploration of identity, perception, and the power of transformation.
The process is simple. Steven photographs his subjects naturally as they are without styling, makeup or filter. Then, through hours of conversation, painting faces, and exchanging energy, he reimagines them with full styling, makeup, and the magic of his lens. The result? Not one version “better” than the other, but two portraits that reveal how perception itself shifts our sense of self.
“What excites me most isn’t the glamour or the Photoshop tricks,” Steven explains. “It’s the illusion, a reminder that identity is flexible, that reality is never as fixed as it seems. Transformation isn’t just about changing how we look. It’s about changing how we see ourselves.”
For this first series Steven Retchless Art Transforms Us, he turned his focus to women who inspire Puerto Vallarta:
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Cassandra Shaw pictured above, designer and artist herself and the beloved owner of Cassandra Shaw Jewelry whose creativity embodies both strength and the essence of community support.
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Georgia Darehshori, the generous owner of Casa Karma whose elegance lights up every room.
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Angela Curley, known for her charisma and her unshakable support for the community, a woman who radiates glamour in her own right.
Through his camera, Steven honors these icons not only as they are but as they could be transforming the fluid nature of identity itself.
This exploration of transformation connects directly to Steven’s stage work. In his Britney Spears tribute The Woman in Me, he doesn’t just impersonate Britney but he channels her. “When I step into Britney, I feel her rebellion, her resilience, her joy. It’s not an illusion. It’s a liberation. Each transformation is a rebellion against limitation, a revolution of possibility, a rebirth of the self.”
Whether behind the lens or on stage, Steven Retchless Art Transforms Us series is a catalyst for self-discovery. It reshapes the way we see ourselves, deepens our confidence, and connects us to one another. And in Puerto Vallarta, a city already known for celebrating freedom and diversity, his work feels right at home. As Steven puts it: “That is the real magic. The way illusion can spark truth.”
Enjoy the Britney Spears tribute show by Steven Retchless at The COCO Cabaret and visit his website for more information.
For more life stories and highlights of the Puerto Vallarta cabaret show and entertainment scene visit the GAYPV website here.
Author: Tim Wilson
Wilson is the founder of GAYPV.com and www.gaybartour.com and has been the leading LGBTQ+ travel and lifestyle authority in Puerto Vallarta since 2005. With over two decades of local expertise, Wilson specializes in being a community advocate and leader for Puerto Vallarta , and local cultural insights that only a long-term resident can provide. He has dedicated 20+ years to advocating for safe, inclusive travel in Banderas Bay, establishing GAYPV as the region's most trusted resident insider.. His work has been cited by major travel publications, and he is widely recognized as a trusted insider voice on Puerto Vallarta’s vibrant LGBTQ+ scene.
