Singaporean mannequin Duan Mei Yue is visibly distressed in a latest video that has gone viral. Within the video, she claims a Russian artist created a nude panting of her based mostly on on a photograph and put the portray on sale for hundreds of {dollars} with out her consent.
“Not solely that, she has additionally put it up for exhibition the place a whole bunch of individuals have posed and brought photos with it like I’m some type of Oriental freak present,” Ms Duan says in her video, which she posted on Twitter on April 5. “I’d a lot reasonably be h8crimed.”
tiktok has eliminated this for “nudity” when it’s a portray and i feel this reveals how vulgar it’s for a nude portray of me to be exhibited and bought with out consent… please retweet till it comes again up on tiktok pic.twitter.com/CEcyHile6Y
— meiyue (@dmeiyue) April 4, 2022
The video was put up first on TikTok, however then taken down due to “nudity”, says the mannequin. “i feel this reveals how vulgar it’s for a nude portray of me to be exhibited and bought with out consent… please retweet till it comes again up on tiktok,” says Ms Duan.
In her video, she says the painter, Angelina Poveteva, claimed the portray had been based mostly on one other mannequin altogether, and had despatched photos of the opposite lady to Ms Duan.
However Ms Duan writes that it’s been confirmed that the images Ms Poveteva had despatched her “have been photoshopped”.
– Commercial 2-
Ms Duan goes on to say that Ms Poveteva lied to her that the portray had not been bought.
Ms Duan additionally shares screenshots of exchanges she had with the artwork faculty that held the exhibition, describing its response as “tremendous dismissive of the state of affairs”.
The portray was bought for US$20,000 (SGD27,000) “WITHOUT MY CONSENT,” the mannequin provides, all of the whereas posting messages exchanged with the painter.
– Commercial 3-
“I used to be 18 in that photograph,” Ms Duan says,” and to see my 18-year-old self being painted bare and paraded round like that, with out my consent, shattered me.”
She goes on to say that she needs to sue the artist, however that is prone to be tough as a result of sophisticated nature of copyright legal guidelines in Russia. She was referring to Russia’s labelling Singapore as a “hostile nation” for its opposition to the invasion of Ukraine and has imposed sanctions in opposition to Russia.
In a latest Instagram put up, the mannequin doesn’t maintain again her emotions.
“in case you wanna use me as the quilt in your artwork, PAY ME. I AM NOT A PICTURE, I AM A HUMAN BEING. I AM NOT SOMETHING TO PUT ON ROCKS OR NAKED TORSOS. I AM NOT TO BE VIOLATED OR TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF.
I AM F***ING HUMAN…”
“it’s been about my individual. my bodily being. it’s been about my very own desires and ambitions, my ardour for what i do. it seems like they’ve been exploited and cheapened. i really feel like i’m nothing. my head is simply tossed round on various things… and bought off identical to that. idk that is simply stream of consciousness and venting, i didn’t assume it will go away an impact on me however my insomnia is again. and that i hate feeling so weak.”
Final yr, Ms Duan additionally took to Instagram to name out artist Allison M Low, after the mannequin’s likeness as rendered by Ms Low, appeared in a lot of tasks, which embody Love, Bonito artwork installations and merchandise, a ebook cowl, and an internet retailer print.
The artist, allegedly, didn’t have permission to make use of the mannequin’s picture for industrial functions. Ms Duan wrote then that she didn’t have the means to pursue the matter legally, including that she didn’t want to “instigate any hatred in the direction of this artist”.
A part of her goal was “to teach different artists to not do that to anybody, mannequin or not”.
She provides: “Don’t commodify an individual’s face with out their consent. it’s violating and exploitative.”
/TISG
Artist & mannequin at odds over picture used commercially
Comply with us on Social Media
Ship in your scoops to information@theindependent.sg
