Artist reimagines value with 'free-for-the-taking' AI works

Chinese artist Yang Yibin has unveiled his solo exhibition Gener(AI)tion: 100 Visioni, 100 Doni (Gener(AI)tion: 100 Visions, 100 Gifts) in Venice, Italy, which breaks with traditional display models by inviting visitors to take his displayed AI-generated artworks for free.

The show features 100 AI pieces, each with a unique number and label. They explore themes including civilization, science, contemporary art, and the future of AI. Notable pieces include Icons, which pays tribute to scientists such as Albert Einstein and Max Planck, and Auctioned Empty Box, which critiques consumer culture.

No registration or payment is required. Anyone who feels a connection to a work can simply remove it from the wall and take it.

"This zero-threshold giveaway is a reconstruction of the value system," says Chen Anying, an art professor at Tsinghua University and an academic supporter of the display.

"It breaks the closed loop of valuation based on capital, power and circles, allowing art's value to be re-anchored in the understanding of civilization and responsibility for the future."