CURATED: JINY LAN

"Living in a democracy means I'm allowed to criticize and doubt everyone in my paintings, and I do." – Jiny Lan

Jiny Lan (born 1970) is an internationally renowned Chinese conceptual artist, who focuses on urban life in the world's metropolises in her large-scale works. Trained at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Zhejiang, China, the painter has lived in Germany since 1995 and combines the artistic traditions of Asia and Europe to create her own visual language. In paintings of aesthetic conciseness, she questions the moral and traditional images of women in China in extensive series. She has exhibited internationally, from Beijing, Hong Kong, and Bogota to Berlin, Vienna, and Venice. She has founded the Jiny Lan Art Foundation, which has set itself the goal of promoting young, talented artists.

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72-HOUR OPEN EDITION DROP | JINY LAN 26-29 JANUARY 2023 6-6 PM CET
The value of freedom is not present to many of us in everyday life. Freedom is taken for granted. For the Chinese artist Jiny Lan, who lived under different conditions in her homeland, freedom cannot be taken for granted. Her harmless-looking work of art, TONGJI INTELLIGENCE-YINE could lead to a prison sentence for her in China, as Pooh the bear, for example, has been banned.
The artist's proceeds will be used to prepare her performance for the planned exhibition, <a href="https://www.pinakothek-der-moderne.de/en/exhibitions/eccentric/">ECCENTRIC. THE AESTHETICS OF FREEDOM</a> at the Pinakothek der Moderne in autumn 2024.
The painting that forms the basis of this exclusive edition was created during a performance that Jiny Lan carried out in cooperation with 12 compatriots. At the 126th anniversary celebration of Tongji University, Jiny Lan invited 12 fellow celebrants to paint a picture with her. Each person was given a canvas that served as a palette for mixing colors. From the leftover paint on the canvases, Jiny Lan created figures in which she either hidden or demonstratively showed elements that were forbidden in China, like Pooh the Bear. The participants in the performance were thus included in the censorship system.
HAND-FINISH Each edition is individualized and hand-signed by the artist.
ABOUT THE 72-HOUR EDITION DROP The 72-HOUR EDITION DROP is a concept that allows artists to sell an unlimited amount of physical editions within the limited time frame of 72 hours on EXPANDED.ART. Each 72-HOUR EDITION DROP edition will be available for 72 hours only, then never again.
ABOUT THE EDITION NUMBER The editions are numbered randomly, i.e., the edition number is not chronologically assigned to the time of order receipt. All 72-HOUR EDITION DROP prints are made to order. Each artwork will be produced specifically for each client; therefore, the artwork is not eligible for return.

TONGJI INTELLIGENCE-YINE

EXHIBITION

Is it a copy? Fake? Appropriation? Conceptual Art? A performance?
WOMAN VS. MACHINE by Chinese artist and feminist Jiny Lan is an artistic commentary on the debate surrounding art and Artificial Intelligence. The artist challenges viewers to reconsider notions of creativity, authorship, and the value of human interpretation in the age of A.I.
During a 4-day performance, Jiny Lan appropriates the work PSEUDOMNESIA: THE ELECTRICIAN by German artist and photographer Boris Eldagsen. In April 2023, he declined the prestigious Sony World Photography Award because the jury had failed to notice that THE ELECTRICIAN was not a photograph, but an image co-created with AI. In an interview with CNN, he explained this historic moment: "It shows that at the moment the photographic world has been taken by surprise after this development that subtly you can create images that look like photography but you don't need to have the skills and expertise of photographers."
Jiny Lan has the skills and expertise of a painter. Trained at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Zhejiang, China, she has lived in Germany since 1995 and combines the artistic traditions of Asia and Europe to create her own visual language. By producing a hand-painted edition of 25 of one AI-generated image, the artist highlights the role of human interpretation and skill in art creation, even when the original source is AI-generated. Each edition Lan paints will be unique, contrasting with the potentially infinite reproducibility of digital AI art. This raises questions about the value of originality and the human touch in art. 
Boris Eldagsen called THE ELECTRICIAN the "Mona Lisa in the age of AI." While the Mona Lisa represents the pinnacle of human artistic skill, THE ELECTRICIAN represents the capabilities of A.I. and its impact on society. Lan's WOMAN VS. MACHINE blurs the lines between original and copy, human and machine creation, much like how digital reproductions have changed our relationship with classical works like the Mona Lisa.
It will take Jiny Lan about two months to finish the 25 editions; she needs about 2-3 days for one painting. The act of repeatedly painting the same image highlights the labor involved in traditional art-making, contrasting it with the presumed speed and ease of AI generation.
Text written by Anika Meier &amp; Claude.ai <meta charset="utf-8">ABOUT THE DIGITAL COMBINE <meta charset="utf-8">After the purchase, collectors receive the corresponding NFT via airdrop on the Tezos blockchain. If you wish to receive the NFT, please contact <a href="mailto:nfts@expanded.art">nfts@expanded.art</a>.

Woman vs. Machine

For Jiny Lan, art and critique are interwoven; the first can’t exist without the second. Having grown up and studied art in China, she experienced early that speaking and creating art freely is a privilege–one she didn’t have but was willing to fight for. Jiny Lan’s paintings, mixed media works, installations and performances question gender roles, tell stories of Chinese women and critice societal systems. 

The artist speaks to Nora Partl, Head of Content & Communication, about her experiences leading the feminist art collective BALD GIRLS, standing out in a communist regime, and finding a voice in the art world.

Feminist Art and Activism

JINY LAN: THE RIGHT TO SPEAK VIA ART 

More than 15 artists explore the duality of kitsch and its critique of modernity, technology, and online culture. Bright, pastel-coloured fantasy worlds filled with unicorns, animals, and other fluffy creatures evoke feelings of tenderness and innocence. But is cuteness always this innocent? 

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