DORA SOMOSI
I am a visual wanderer. My impressionistic imagery surfs an emotional riptide beneath which are the big existential questions. I photograph natural phenomena where the everyday meets the sublime: waves crashing, thick fog, the dome of treetops, saturated sunsets, the ever-expanding horizon. Central to my process is the expanding and reshaping of the photographic image.
The landscapes I photograph and interact with illuminate the quiet magnificence of our natural world. They capture scenes that might pass us by, unnoticed, uncelebrated. When I am outside hiking, walking, moving my body, I move beyond the weight of the world, the ticking of the clock… I am transported by the wonder of nature, grateful for its healing salve.
My photography practice grew out of hikes with my youngest daughter, in the face of personal health difficulties; looking to nature as an appreciation of things larger than our individual selves. I began to work with the imagery, transforming it, to express the reverence and positivity that nature offered during a difficult time. This practice has grown into a space for learning and research, with emphasis on the conservation of our natural world. I seek to translate and communicate this awe and enjoyment, to focus the lens on what is certainly shifting and may be altogether one day lost.
Dora Somosi is a Hungarian-American photographer living and working in Brooklyn and Old Chatham, NY. Her work has been shown with The International Center of Photography (ICP), Kraushaar1885 Gallery, NeueHouse, BRiC Arts, BAM Art, 3Wallsnyc, Blank Wall Gallery, Praise Shadows, The Landing, Main Street Gallery, Photoplace Gallery, Showfields, and ICFF. Her photographs have been printed with The Atlantic, Taschen, Cultured Magazine, The New York Times, T Magazine and InteriorDesign. Her works reside with notable New York and Los Angeles collectors and interior designers, including Trustees of the Brooklyn Museum, BRiC Arts, and the Brooklyn International Studio and Curatorial Program.
Somosi has received awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME), Society of Publication Designers (SPD), American Photography, Photo District News and Art Director's Club for her work as Director of Photography at Condé Nast and Hearst Publications (2004-2014), as well as an Emmy nomination for short form video content. She has collaborated with some of the leading editorial photographers and lectured at the International School of Photography and the School of Visual Arts. She has served as the Vice President of The Society of Publications Designers, Visuals Director for Tatter, and Secretary of the Board of Directors for the W. Eugene Smith Fund for the advancement of humanistic photography. She consults buyers on emerging artists, and has curated benefit shows to raise money for various political and non profit causes.
From Memory #2, 2020, archival inkjet print on Hahnemuhle paper, various sizes.