Auntie culture is a term that encapsulates social behaviours, attitudes, and archetypes commonly associated with older women in Asian societies. In Singapore, where the artist grew up, “auntie” can be used affectionately, neutrally, or pejoratively. Aunties are often depicted as practical, outspoken, and resourceful, yet also associated with outdated tastes or nagging tendencies.

At the same time, aunties embody tough love and complex forms of care, expressing concern through sharp-tongued remarks, indirect affection, and gestures like preparing food rather than verbal reassurance. Their words might sting, but their intent is often protective. These subtleties, unique to their generation, may not exist in the same way in the future.

The aunties of today, bold, direct, sometimes rude, always forthcoming are a reflection of their era, their culture, and their region. They emerged from a transitional generation, navigating tradition and modernity, often caught between the expectations placed upon them and their own desires. In another 50 to 100 years, the aunties we know today may no longer exist in the same way.

Future generations of women may embody new ideals, shaped by more personal freedom and individual choice rather than collective duty. Aunties of tomorrow will likely be different from the aunties of today, influenced by evolving gender roles, shifting social structures, and a greater sense of self-determination.

This raises an urgent question: How do we preserve the essence of auntie culture before it disappears?

Through Auntieverse, Niceaunties is using technology to document and reinterpret this generation of aunties, their behaviours, quirks, and unique forms of expression, before they fade from collective memory. The project acts as a living archive, capturing their contradictions: their love hidden behind sharp words, their resilience in the face of change, their ability to navigate between the past and present.

Niceaunties is deeply influenced by her architectural background, personal upbringing, and engagement with AI as a creative tool.

• Architectural Thinking & Spatial Narratives: Before transitioning to AI art, the artist worked in architecture, a field rooted in spatial storytelling and problem-solving. This background informs the world-building in Niceaunties, where aunties inhabit meticulously crafted environments—factories, spas, jelly malls, and speculative cities.

• Personal History & Family Dynamics: Growing up in a large, multi-generational household, the artist experienced the nuances of auntie culture firsthand. The project reflects both personal memories and broader cultural themes, examining how these women express love, authority, and care.

The Auntie Love Language: Unlike traditional notions of affection, aunties show love through criticism, food, and unspoken gestures. A harsh comment about weight is not an insult, but a sign of concern. A plate of cut fruit carries more meaning than words. This complex love language is central to the Niceaunties project and is something that AI is now being considered as a tool to help document before it fades.

From its inception, Auntieverse has evolved thematically and formally, transitioning from explorations of social and community life to environmental themes, before merging the surreal with real-world interactions, as seen in Aunties in Dis Place in Uruguay.

1. Social & Community Narratives

Early works focused on reinterpreting auntie behaviours, beauty standards, and body image, turning mundane activities, like cooking, laundry, and dance, into surreal, exaggerated spectacles.

2. Environmental Themes & Consumption

Over time, the project expanded to address consumerism, mass production, and environmental degradation, leading to:

• Deforestation & Displacement (Going Home) – A poetic, melancholic AI film exploring the loss of forests and ecosystems, visualised through the story of an orangutan forced out of its home.

• Global Warming & Melting Ice Caps (Niceburg, Snowman) – Works that address the climate crisis and rising sea levels, portraying aunties navigating melting landscapes, drawing parallels between environmental loss and cultural displacement.

• Water, Society & Environmental Degradation (Along the River in Auntieverse) Commissioned by Christie’s for the 2024 Art + Tech Conference in New York, this piece reinterprets the historic scroll painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival through a contemporary lens, exploring human relationships with water, pollution, and urban transformation.

3. Merging Reality & the Surreal (Aunties in Dis Place, Uruguay)

The project took a new turn during an art residency in Pueblo Garzón, Uruguay, where Niceaunties integrated her work into real landscapes for the first time. Photographing the village, she introduced AI-generated aunties into the images, creating an augmented reality of aunties navigating unfamiliar terrain. The final installation featured large-scale laundry sculpture and projections on hanging layered fabric, mirroring the layers of experience one crosses when entering a new place.

AI is not just a tool in Auntieverse, it is fundamental to its conceptual and creative approach. Niceaunties uses AI models to generate impossible compositions, bridging the gap between imagination and visual execution.

• Speed & Iteration: AI allows for rapid prototyping, mirroring the conceptualising process in all creative work.

• Visualising the Unseen: Many scenes in Auntieversedo not exist in reality, AI enables their creation.

• Integration with Traditional Tools: AI-generated images and videos are not the end product but a starting point. Niceaunties refines these works using manual editing, compositing, and storytelling techniques, ensuring a balance between technology and artistic intent.

As AI continues to evolve, Auntieverse stands at the intersection of cultural preservation, speculative fiction, and technological innovation, challenging how we perceive both aunties and the future of digital art.