Auntie's Spa: Legitimate Business
Video, 2023
About the artwork
This AI animation was inspired by the reaction of some community members on X/Twitter to the work 'Auntie’s Spa.' In 'Auntie’s Spa,' aunties are depicted undergoing spa treatments, wrapped up in sushi and clingfilm, and receiving acupuncture. This led to a misunderstanding by some viewers, who interpreted these scenes as cannibalistic, believing that the aunties were being marinated for consumption. As a clarification, this animation illustrates scenes of content aunties enjoying their treatments at Auntie’s Spa, emphasising that it is, indeed, a legitimate and non-threatening business. Created in Dalle3 and animated in Runwayml.
Sound design by Niceaunties
Audio explanation
Listen to Niceaunties discuss this work.
Niceaunties is a contemporary artist and designer based in Singapore. Drawing inspiration from the influential women in her family and the distinct 'auntie culture,' her work explores themes of ageing, beauty, personal freedom, and everyday life through AI and digital art. Her life experiences and architectural training inform the conceptual basis of her pieces, while her focus on the nuanced behaviours of 'aunties' highlights the culture prevalent in Asian communities.
These women, embodying a spectrum from strange and funny to mean and kind, profoundly influenced the artist's early life and creative narrative, laying the foundation for the unique storytelling of "Niceaunties." Exploring themes like aging, beauty, personal freedom, and the nuances of everyday life, Niceaunties expresses her vision through the mediums of generative and digital art. Her creations are marked by an amalgamation of surrealism, fantasy, and the vibrant aesthetics of kawaii culture.
Influenced by surreal art, fantasy, and kawaii culture, Niceaunties' art champions empowerment and self-expression.