‘I am f***ing human,’ model Duan Mei Yue says Russian artist exhibited nude painting of her, sold it for US$20,000 without her consent

Singaporean model Duan Mei Yue is visibly distressed in a recent video that has gone viral. In the video, she claims a Russian artist created a nude panting of her based on on a photo and put the painting on sale for thousands of dollars without her consent.

“Not only that, she has also put it up for exhibition where hundreds of people have posed and taken pictures with it like I am some kind of Oriental freak show,” Ms Duan says in her video, which she posted on Twitter on April 5. “I would much rather be h8crimed.”

tiktok has removed this for “nudity” when it’s a painting and i think this shows how vulgar it is for a nude painting of me to be exhibited and sold without consent… please retweet until it comes back up on tiktok pic.twitter.com/CEcyHile6Y

— meiyue (@dmeiyue) April 4, 2022

The video was put up first on TikTok, but then taken down  because of “nudity”, says the model. “i think this shows how vulgar it is for a nude painting of me to be exhibited and sold without consent… please retweet until it comes back up on tiktok,” says Ms Duan.

In her video, she says the painter,  Angelina Poveteva, claimed the painting had been based on another model altogether, and had sent pictures of the other woman to Ms Duan. 

But Ms Duan writes that it’s been proven that the pictures Ms Poveteva had sent her “were photoshopped”.

Ms Duan goes on to say that Ms Poveteva lied to her that the painting had not been sold.

Ms Duan also shares screenshots of exchanges she had with the art school that held the exhibition, describing its response as “super dismissive of the situation”.

The painting was sold for US$20,000 (SGD27,000) “WITHOUT MY CONSENT,” the model adds, all the while posting messages exchanged with the painter.

“I was 18 in that photo,” Ms Duan says,” and to see my 18-year-old self being painted naked and paraded around like that, without my consent, shattered me.”

She goes on to say that she wishes to sue the artist, but this is likely to be difficult due to the complicated nature of copyright laws in Russia. She was referring to Russia’s labelling Singapore as a “hostile country” for its opposition to the invasion of Ukraine and has imposed sanctions against Russia.

In a recent Instagram post, the model does not hold back her feelings. 

“if you wanna use me as the cover for your art, 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 person. my physical being. it’s been about my own dreams and ambitions, my passion for what i do. it feels like they have been exploited and cheapened. i feel like i am nothing. my head is just tossed around on different things… and sold off just like that. idk this is just stream of consciousness and venting, i didn’t think it would leave an effect on me but my insomnia is back. and i hate feeling so weak.”

Last year, Ms Duan also took to Instagram to call out artist Allison M Low, after the model’s likeness as rendered by Ms Low, appeared in a number of projects, which include Love, Bonito art installations and merchandise, a book cover, and an online store print.

The artist, allegedly, did not have permission to use the model’s image for commercial purposes. Ms Duan wrote then that she did not have the means to pursue the matter legally, adding that she did not wish to “instigate any hatred towards this artist”.

Part of her aim was “to educate other artists to not do this to anyone, model or not”.

She adds: “Do not commodify a person’s face without their consent. it is violating and exploitative.”

/TISG

Artist & model at odds over image used commercially