Niceaunties
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Niceaunties | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981 (age 43–44) Singapore |
| Nationality | Singaporean |
| Known for | Digital art, AI art, installation |
| Website | |
Niceaunties is the pseudonym of a Singapore-based artist and designer whose work incorporates generative artificial intelligence, video, and digital installation. Her practice centers around the figure of the "auntie", a common term for older women in Southeast Asian contexts, and explores themes such as aging, care, domesticity, and gender roles.[1][2]
Her work has been featured in exhibitions and media platforms including TED, Christie's Art + Tech, Expanded.Art, and publications such as The Guardian, The Straits Times.[3]
Early life and career
[edit]Niceaunties was born in 1981 in Singapore. She attributes her inspiration for "auntie culture" to the matriarchal environment and older women of her household, including her grandmother, while growing up.[4] She is also an architectural designer.[1]
The Niceaunties project began in 2023 after she encountered AI-generated images in her work as an architect.[5] It draws inspiration from women in the artist's family and broader Southeast Asian cultural dynamics. Her work often features AI-generated visuals created with tools such as DALL-E, Krea, RunwayML, and SORA. Her imagery and narratives center on the fictional "Auntieverse", which features older women in imagined settings involving community, ecology, and labor.[2][6]
Her notable works include 'Auntlantis', a five-part video series imagining older women engaged in ocean clean-up and collective ritual,[1] and 'Goddess,' a video created with Sora, featuring a character who gradually forgets her divine identity through years of domestic labor.[3]
Exhibitions
[edit]- 2024 – Expanded.Art, Berlin – Auntiedote solo exhibition[7]
- 2024 – TED (conference), Vancouver – Speaker and screening[3]
- 2024 – Victoria and Albert Museum, London – Digital Art Weekend[8]
- 2024 – Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark – Ocean exhibition[9]
- 2025 – Christie's Augmented Intelligence Auction, New York[10]
Reception
[edit]In 2024, Niceaunties gave a TED Talk titled The Weird and Wonderful Art of Niceaunties.[3] Journalist Rebecca Ratcliffe, writing for The Guardian, described her work as combining AI with "the surreal and the political," noting her focus on older women as central characters.[1] Her work has also received criticism for being reliant on generative AI, which many feel exploits and steals from traditional artists.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Ratcliffe, Rebecca (July 19, 2024). "Into the Auntieverse: a surreal fantasy of older women". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c "'I've received bomb threats': S'pore AI artist behind works depicting aunties in bizarre settings". The Straits Times. July 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "The weird and wonderful art of Niceaunties". April 24, 2024 – via www.ted.com.
- ^ "This Singaporean artist uses AI to imagine a world where aunties live a life unhindered". PEAK Singapore. 2024-08-10. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ Fear, Natalie (2025-05-20). "I was an AI art hater – until I met an AI artist in the flesh". Creative Bloq. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ Mun-Delsalle, Y.-Jean. "Artist Niceaunties Uses AI-Crafted Surreal Worlds To Rebel Against Societal Norms Imposed On Women". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ "Niceaunties | Auntiedote".
- ^ "Digital Art Screening: The Lumen Prize presents the Future of Art - Film screening at V&A South Kensington · V&A".
- ^ "Ocean". Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ "Augmented Intelligence". onlineonly.christies.com. Retrieved 2025-07-05.