Chimera

The Body as Optical Rupture

Mirrored, fractured, reformed — a body that exists only within the optics of the camera.

Photography promises to capture what is. Chimera disrupts that promise. In this series, the body is fragmented through damaged mirrors, refractive surfaces, and projected light — producing anatomies that cannot be fixed or fully known. The figure appears doubled, stretched, folded into itself. Not broken, but liberated from the tyranny of a single perspective.The title invokes the mythological chimera: a creature assembled from incompatible parts, impossible yet undeniably present. Here, the body becomes its own chimera — a form that holds contradictions, that cannot be reduced to one truth. Every distortion is achieved in-camera, through the choreography of light, surface, and flesh. Nothing is added afterwards. What the photograph records is what the lens actually saw, and what the lens saw depends entirely on what was placed between it and the body.The series works through a shifting toolkit of optical interventions — no two images rely on the same configuration. Scratched and warped mirrors catch the body and scatter it into overlapping planes, so the figure appears to fold through itself within a single exposure. Refractive surfaces produce soft doublings, where contours drift and reattach in unexpected places. Coloured light and projected pattern flood the skin, rewriting the body as a surface on which optical information can be written. Each image is an experiment in what happens when the camera is asked to see through something, rather than directly at something.The conceptual reference point is Hans Bellmer's La Poupée, which dismembered and reassembled the female form to expose the violence beneath desire — but Chimera operates in the opposite direction. Where Bellmer cut and sutured, these images refract; there is no violence, only optical multiplication. The body remains whole while perception splinters. Other conversations happen at the edges: Yayoi Kusama's saturation fields, the Op Art tradition's pressure on the eye, the long lineage of broken mirrors in modernist photography from Brassaï onwards. But the governing question stays constant — what does a body look like when the visual field refuses to let it rest as a single stable form?Within Chimera, one focused investigation has emerged as its own named sub-series. Dysmorphia photographs bodies through scratched glass and warped reflective surfaces, their forms stretched and compressed in ways that evoke the distorted self-perception of body dysmorphic disorder. These images do not illustrate a diagnosis; they visualize an experience. What does it feel like when the mirror lies? Dysmorphia received an Honorable Mention at the 2025 Annual Photography Awards in the Body & Nudes category.The contemporary resonance of the whole series is unavoidable. In an era of filtered selfies, AI-generated bodies, and augmented reality, Chimera asks: what is an authentic image of a body? The answer, these photographs suggest, may be that no single image can contain the body's full truth. Every representation is already a distortion; Chimera simply makes the distortion visible, and does so using nothing but what happened in front of the camera.

Selected Works

Chimera, DSC09412-2, nude art photography: Torso with breasts lit in red and green, and a purple light on the lower abdomen, in darkness.
Nude silhouette of a woman illuminated by dramatic red and green lighting, set against a black background, highlighting curves and form.
Silhouette of a figure against black background, illuminated by a striking blue light and hints of red highlights on the body.
Curved silhouette of a nude torso illuminated by vibrant pink and blue lights against a dark background, emphasizing form and contrast.
Reflective surface distorts the figure of a seated nude, showcasing smooth skin tones and emphasizing curves against a minimalistic backdrop.
Abstract composition featuring intertwined nude forms reflected in a distorted surface, with soft beige tones against a white backdrop.
A nude figure holds their thighs, reflecting a distorted, abstract view in a textured mirror against a minimalist background.
A symmetrical, abstract nude body composition with smooth curves, set against a light background, showcasing tactile textures.
Translucent figure intertwined in a curving pose against a white backdrop, with soft, muted skin tones and a textured surface reflecting light.
Abstract representation of a torso with soft curves, reflecting skin tones and metallic details against a bright background.
A nude figure is seated, hands on face, against a light backdrop, with smooth skin tones and a sense of intimacy and vulnerability.
Nude figure posed against a striking yellow and black striped backdrop, creating dynamic shadows and patterns on the skin.
Nude figure posed against a textured background, illuminated with bold yellow and black diagonal stripes, creating dramatic shadows.
Nude figure with curly hair, illuminated by a web-pattern projection on a vibrant green background, creating a striking visual contrast.
Chimera nude art photography: A nude woman with mad patterns projected on her body, set against a vibrant green background.
A nude figure stands against a vivid red background adorned with large white polka dots, framed by dramatic lighting and shadows.
Chimera Mad Patterns II: Nude art photography project featuring a woman's body covered in red and white polka dots, artistic nude photography.
Nude figure with curly hair poses against a bright red background, covered in white polka dots, creating striking shadows and contrasts.

Sub-Series & Editions

Chimera contains one named sub-series. Dysmorphia is a focused investigation photographing the body through scratched and warped reflective surfaces; it received an Honorable Mention at the 2025 Annual Photography Awards (Body & Nudes).Archival pigment prints are released in editions of 5 + 1 Artist Proof on Hahnemühle Photo Rag and Baryta papers. Selected works are represented on Artsper, Saatchi Art, and Artmajeur. For direct inquiries, exhibition loans, or collector pricing: print@burakbulut.org.

Dysmorphia

From Dysmorphia Serie