File:Aziz+Cucher Chimera.jpeg

Photographic work by Aziz + Cucher, Chimera #1 (Light jet c-print, 60" x 30", 1998). The image illustrates a major body of work in Aziz + Cucher's early career from the later 1990s, when they expanded into sculptural objects (and photographic images of those objects) exploring body-technology intersections. This work is from their series, "Chimeras" (1998), in which they photographed objects from their first sculptural series, "Plasmorphica" (1997). These biomorphic, hybrid objects were reworked for the images, with digital "sheaths" of simulated human skin detailed with photorealistic pores, moles, freckles and body hair. The photographs were publicly exhibited in prominent venues and discussed in major art journals and daily press publications.

Artists Aziz + Cucher. Copyright held by the artist.

Aziz + Cucher

Entire artwork

Yes. The image will not affect the commercial value of the original work or limit the copyright holder's rights or ability to distribute the original due to its low resolution and the general workings of the art market, which values the actual work of art. Because of the low resolution, illegal copies could not be made.

The image has contextual significance serving an educational purpose as the primary means of illustrating a key body of work in Aziz + Cucher's early career: their first sculptural works, which explored intersections between the social, biological and technological realms, particularly notions of the post-human condition and potential pathologies associated with progress. Critics related this work to Surrealist evocations of the "uncanny" that grafted doll parts or objects to human form, such as those of Hans Bellmer and Man Ray. Because the article is about artists and their work, the omission of the image would significantly limit a reader's understanding and ability to understand this foundational body of work and medium, which brought Aziz + Cucher early recognition through exhibitions in major venues, coverage by major critics and publications, and museum acquisitions. Aziz + Cucher's work of this type and this series, as well as this specific work, are discussed in the article and by critics cited in the article.

There is no free equivalent of this or any other of this series by Aziz + Cucher, so the image cannot be replaced by a free image.

The image use is minimal in that it conveys important information that a full artwork image at a limited fair-use size cannot due to the uniquely hyper-detailed nature of the work. By providing a close-up of the artist's style and imagery, it is significantly more informative for a viewer. It is also a further protection (along with the low resolution) against affecting commercial value.