How Maya Man Reframes Beauty and Control in ‘twentynine’ MagazineHer use of AI isn’t about convenience, but about tension, frustration and discovery, making the process as meaningful as the result.
twentynine magazine, created by artist Maya Man (@mayaontheinternet) and designer Isabelle Lalonde (@BeepyBella), reimagines the glossy world of fashion editorials and advertising through the lens of AI. The publication, supported by Lenovo and Intel’s Make Space initiative, transforms familiar magazine tropes into surreal reflections on femininity, media illusions and the performance of self. At its core, the project questions how we construct and consume beauty while pushing the boundaries of digital art.
For Man, whose work often examines identity in online spaces, the project was a chance to interrogate how fashion magazines and advertising shapes self-image. “Generative AI models, given how they are trained, are essentially a warped mirror of what already exists in the world,” she explained. “It was fascinating to use AI to try to produce a genre of imagery that I’ve spent basically my entire life consuming: advertising.” By fine-tuning models on her own likeness, she blurred the line between aspirational image and digital identity, probing just how malleable self-presentation can become.
Working with AI didn’t simplify her creative process. Instead, it complicated it in meaningful ways. “I think what’s most surprising about working with AI as an artist is that it doesn’t really alleviate labor for me,” Man admitted. Instead of serving as a shortcut, the process became labor-intensive, demanding patience and intent. She described it as both frustrating and rewarding: a way to surface the hidden biases of the technology while bending it toward her own artistic goals.
Collaborating with Lalonde and using tools like the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition, imagined with Intel, added another dimension, as fashion and object-making collided with Man’s background in code and performance. “Bella rocks. She’s fearless. She pushed me to experiment with ideas that were initially outside of my comfort zone,” Man said. Their shared interest in femininity, language, and networked culture created a natural synergy, but their different approaches kept the project dynamic. Lalonde’s instinct to move quickly and try things on balanced Man’s more cautious, concept-driven methods, leading to a final product that felt both experimental and refined.
Throughout the project, Man remained deeply aware of the stakes of working with AI in art. “I think it’s important to ask if you’re using AI as a shortcut or as a true medium,” she explained. For her, the latter is essential: misusing or interrogating tools like AI becomes a way to reveal their limitations and consequences. Rather than resisting the technology, she believes artists must confront it head-on, exposing its mechanics and cultural implications.
Looking ahead, Man sees the role of artists as essential in navigating AI’s rise. “Artists always find ways to expose the tricks of new technologies,” she reflected. To her, ignoring AI is riskier than engaging with it—because only through creative interrogation can its influence be understood. “The invention of new artistic mediums don’t kill off the other ones. Instead, they produce genres of making that allow art to most honestly interface with contemporary life.” For twentynine, that honesty lies in showing beauty, identity and control not as fixed ideals, but as ever-shifting performances in the age of algorithms.
twentynine is part of Make Space, a Lenovo and Intel initiative that gives emerging artists access to advanced tools, collaborative opportunities and creative platforms—ranging from workshops to digital activations—to explore freely and push the limits of artistic expression.
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