Esther Hunziker
Embodiments 012
The three works from the 167-piece series Embodiments belong to the overarching series Cover. Take 1 by the Basel-based artist Esther Hunziker. This is a series of AI-generated digital prints from 2023. The series consists of a total of 300 images, each depicting the same figure with differently shaped, sculptural "faces."
Against a light, neutral background, we see a half-body portrait of the figure. It wears a blue denim jacket. The right arm hangs relaxed downward, while the left hand, gloved, reaches for the jacket's closure. The staging recalls typical fashion photography. However, the figure's face is replaced by a sculptural formation. The series shows various variations of this same figure.
In Embodiments 009, two almost marble-like heads, enveloped by a headscarf or veil, sit on top of one another, while a white hand reaches into the fabric—slightly distorted, as if merging with the structure. In Embodiments 014, the head of the anonymous figure is replaced by a brown furry form, while in Embodiments 012, a long, organic structure resembling mycelial networks or a tentacle covers the body. The variations differ in texture and aesthetics but always form the portrait of the same anonymous person—its identity remains hidden and is simultaneously constantly redefined by the ever-changing sculptural faces.
For these transformations, Hunziker uses image-generating artificial intelligence (AI), to which she continually inputs new text commands—called prompts. Through varying inputs, countless new figures emerge. The artist is not focused on implementing specific ideas or fixed aesthetics, but rather giving the AI space for its own inventions.
Hunziker then adopts these generated forms as the basis for her sculptural works. She deliberately uses abstract terms and keywords, including imperfect extraterrestrial soul, misshapen organism, uncanny body parts, wobbly humanoid, tailored bionics, crumpled goddess, medical archaeology, confused memes, disordered engineering, and many more. This results in uncanny yet simultaneously aesthetic visual forms.
Text: Nina Liechti
