Auf dem Stuhl is an ongoing visual art project initiated by new media artist Yilun. Centered on the chair—one of the most standardized and symbolically charged objects in the history of design—the project examines how cultural memory, design language, and imagination are transformed in an age of technological image generation. Through sustained processes of repetition and variation, the chair is approached not as a functional object, but as a cultural residue: familiar, over-determined, and increasingly detached from use.
The project produces a series of so-called quasi-chairs—objects that resemble chairs yet resist occupation. Drawing on the formal logic of typological photography, these works emerge through continuous distortion, recomposition, and defunctionalization of historical chair archetypes. References to design history intersect with fragmented influences from indigenous totems, folk art, primitivism, futurism, and speculative ornamentation, forming a hybrid visual grammar that oscillates between sculpture, artifact, and hallucination.
Quasi-chairs are situated within uncanny, often fictional environments such as forests, ruins, deserts, or digital landscapes. These settings function not as neutral backdrops but as semantic amplifiers, in which object and environment co-produce meaning. Together, they form a visual system that feels both systematic and unstable—a typological archive suspended between simulation and imagination.
While the project primarily employs AI-generated imagery, computer graphics, and staged photography, it maintains a critical distance from technological spectacle. By juxtaposing automated generation with intuitive intervention, Auf dem Stuhl questions the authority of design, the neutrality of tools, and the contemporary veneration of efficiency and functionality. Rather than proposing solutions, the project foregrounds visual uncertainty and perceptual friction as modes of reflection.
The continuous juxtaposition of defunctionalized design derivatives with heterotopic landscapes becomes, in itself, a quiet parody and critique of modern design language.
Works are continuously published on Instagram @auf_dem_stuhl, where the project unfolds as an open-ended visual experiment—one that reflects on how images, technologies, and cultural forms are endlessly reproduced, misread, and reimagined in the present.
Most of the chairs in the photos are fictional.
The person behind the account is the artist Yilun, who is from China.
Yes, another key participant in this project is Zihao, who is responsible for all the analog photography in the project.
The name 'Auf dem Stuhl,' which means 'on the chair' in German, is intentionally ironic, as the photos depict chairs with nothing on them. This deliberate artistic choice invites viewers to imagine the stories that might unfold on these empty chairs.
Chairs were chosen as the subject because they are significant objects in the history of design and art, symbolizing human attitudes toward life. They are more than just functional objects; they represent a space of reflection, rest, and contemplation, positioning us between movement and stillness. By focusing on chairs, I can explore various themes related to human existence, such as solitude, community, and the passage of time. Additionally, chairs as a subject allow for a wide range of creative expression, from minimalist designs to elaborate installations, making them a versatile and powerful symbol in my work.
The project explores photography through various methods, including 3D rendering, staged photography, and AI generation, among others. By combining these methods, the lines of authenticity become blurred. Regardless of the method used, the creative process is nearly identical: it begins with scriptwriting, followed by generation, rendering, or shooting, and then concludes with post-production.
I would describe it as mock typological photography. Although not entirely shot in real life, and with some stylistic inconsistencies, the working methods borrow from typological photography, particularly in controlling constants and variables. That’s why I refer to this series of works as mock typological photography. I coined the term 'mopology' by combining 'mock' and 'typology' to describe this type of photographic art. For a more detailed explanation of mock typological photography, you can visit mopology.org.
Yes, this project is open to collaboration and welcomes other artists to participate. If you have any ideas, feel free to email us at connect@aufdemstuhl.com.
