A former pornographer recently unveiled his interpretation of the Venus de Milo statue. His statue, Algorithmic Beauty, depicts a highly augmented version of the famed statue taking a selfie.
People are sharply divided over whether Algorithmic Beauty has artistic merit or is simply horny trash.
Fans see it as a brilliant work of art that reflects people’s obsession with how they appear online. To them, it encapsulates one of the darker aspects of the technology age, which has made many people fixated on looking hot on the internet, rather than more tangible concerns, such as their personal relationships and the quality of their character.
Critics view it as a lazy and superficial effort to manufacture deeper meaning without actually adding anything significant to the conversation about beauty, technology, and art.
Algorithmic Beauty was created by Greg Lansky. Lansky was one of the most successful pornographers in the business until he sold his company, Vixen Media Group, in 2020 to pursue other businesses and interests.
Algorithmic Beauty is the fruit of those pursuits. Lansky posted that he created it with scans, 3D modeling, and Italian marble milling technology. He captioned it, “How much pain would you take to feel loved?”
If Lansky’s goal was to inspire passionate reactions, then Algorithmic Beauty is a resounding success.
As much as some love Lansky’s statue, others hate it.
One fan gushed on Lansky’s Instagram post of the statue, “This says so much about society.”
Another wrote, “Wow…what a powerful message! Thank you for sharing this!!!”
Photos of Algorithmic Beauty made their way onto other platforms where heated arguments broke out in the comments.
Many argued about whether the scars on the statue show a breast reduction and a Cesarean section, rather than a breast augmentation and a tummy tuck as apparently intended.
“Did she have a c section to feel loved,” wrote one.
Lansky insists that the abdominal scar is indeed a tummy tuck scar. It isn’t known whether the scars on the statue’s breasts are meant to be from reduction or augmentation.
Detractors believe that the statue is a clumsy, pedestrian attempt to say something profound.
“What if phone bad??????!?!?$??!” @MattGrippi tweeted facetiously.
@punished_cait deemed the statue “Big Honkers Venus de Milo” and noted that “none of these pics mention he also gave her a big cellulite ass, what does that signify?”
“Just say you wanted to put big fake titties on the Venus de Milo, who cares,” @punished_cait added. “Don’t try to convince me it’s actually feminist.”
Critics weren’t particularly surprised to learn about Lansky’s previous work as a pornographer.
“Profiting off women’s bodies should be something that Greg Lansky is very familiar, as he made his money as an adult film producer,” TikToker @_theiconoclass said.
Lansky seems unbothered by criticisms of Algorithmic Beauty.
When someone tweeted of his statue, “If dumb people ever stop making art I will freakkk out. This is awesome,” he replied with a photo of Jim Carrey from Dumb and Dumber.
