VENUS | ƧUИƎV
The artwork VENUS | ƧUИƎV is a dynamic token consisting of four (4) individual images. Weaving together photography, classical paintings, and AI-generated images, VENUS | ƧUИƎV explores the concepts of “re-birth” and “beauty” through the perpetual and uncontrolled juxtaposition of conceptual dualities.
General Context
The myth of Venus has co-existed with humanity for millennia. Influenced and altered through its passing from various archaic civilisations, Venus and her “alter egos”—including the Greek Aphrodite, the Phoenician Astarte, the East Semitic Ishtar, and the Sumerian Inanna—were thought to be goddesses of love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation among others. Venus has been a significant influence on my creative upcoming. Whether due to the plentiful representations of her in classical art, or the abundant references in pop culture; I have always felt drawn to Venus’s complex and powerful representations. The artwork VENUS | ƧUИƎV, consisting of an amalgamation of practices including the appropriation of classical paintings from the public domain, composite photography, computationally synthesised imagery, and collage tying everything together; is a dynamic token that re-establishes the character of Venus in a trans-national and trans-gender contemporary context. Weaving together 4 individual artworks / 2 main characters VENUS | ƧUИƎV attempts to establish a narrative of strength through softness and vulnerability. The smart contract powering this artwork is provided by Transient Labs.
Analysing the Environment and Character Changes
The work VENUS | ƧUИƎV delves, for the first time in my practice, into discovering parallels between the acclaimed classical works of Sandro Botticelli “The Birth of Venus” ( 1484-1486 ) and “Primavera” ( 1470-1480 )—significant as they were for Italian Renaissance—and two contemporary counterparts generated with the use of text-to-image language models that reflect on the stories of the depicted characters. Through the utilisation of smart contract technology, VENUS | ƧUИƎV establishes a dynamic, perpetual journey through time. One that sparks a dialogue regarding practices of the past, both in the creative and societal realms. 水深火熱 Abyss of Suffering [idiom] The deep water and the blazing fire The above idiom, roughly translated from Mandarin, is traditionally used as a metaphor to describe a harsh environment or situation. In this instance, the inspiration deriving from the phrase applies to two separate aspects of the work—a) The turbulence caused by Artificial Intelligence in the visual arts field, and b) the current socio-political reality, particularly on queer experiences beyond the Western perspective. The two characters and their AI-generated environments are deeply interconnected, with their respective environments drawing inspiration from their original identities: a queer Iranian woman from France, and a queer Taiwanese gay man from Germany. Through water and fire, two strong figures rise in Venus’s likeness. They stand as tributes in honour of those still suffering persecution and violence. While seemingly unwounded and unashamed, they are surrounded by reminders of a threatening reality. The elements of water and fire are not chosen lightly. Both have been used to cause physical harm to queer and other marginalised identities throughout history. Yet, still today, this remains a reality. The element of water directly discusses the torturing practice of waterboarding, widely used against women and LGBTQI+ advocates in the Iranian regime; while the element of fire pays homage to three instances of deliberate torture, incineration, and eventual murder of 3 gay men in 2011 (Stuart Walker, 28 years old), 2017 (Alexander, unidentified age), and 2021 (Normunds Kindzulis, 29 years old).
Smart Contract Integration
The artwork VENUS | ƧUИƎV is a dynamic token consisting of 4 individual images. Each of these images is assigned a different display duration, ranging from 10 to 360 minutes. The cycle order of the images always remains the same (1,2,3,4). When the artwork is initially loaded, the algorithm randomly selects one of the four images to display. Upon every refresh, the algorithm picks another image randomly. The integration of smart contract technology and the decision to create a time-based dynamic artwork directly questions our pre-assumptions of beauty. In VENUS | ƧUИƎV viewers’ are deprived of their ability to choose between the two characters, establishing an argument on behalf of creative integrity and artistic expression. The intentional unpredictability sets the foundation for a narrative depicting beauty, strength, and perseverance outside the gendered bias. “You get what you get, you don’t get upset” — The Icon, Jennifer Coolidge
Conclusion
In VENUS | ƧUИƎV the contemporary, gender-blurring Venuses act both as opposites and complimentary of each other: Woman and Man (models). Light and Dark (The two Botticelli artworks). Water and Fire (The two AI-generated artworks). Queer identities persevering as modern goddesses, uniting the opposites in mutual affection. Reflecting on its origins, this artwork is about “birth”, not in the traditional sense, but rather in the birth of the self—the realisation of one’s individuality beyond societal stereotypes. An artwork that looks beyond my perspective and invites the story of a woman I deeply admire for her passion for life. Narrating the story of two immigrants who created the lives they needed instead of those given to them, VENUS | ƧUИƎV is a testament to adaptation.