Dora Somosi

Dora Somosi, a Hungarian American photographer based in New York, creates nature-based cyanotypes, characterized by their striking blue hues. In her abstracted images of trees in By Her Side, Somosi captures an ethereality that conveys a sense of history. The project began at Edna St. Vincent Millay's home, Steepletop, where Somosi first photographed the poet's beloved grounds. From there, she traveled across the country, capturing trees that still stand beside the former homes and studios of women such as Emily Dickinson, Georgia O'Keefe, Toni Morrison, Ruth Asawa, Agnes Martin, and Imogen Cunningham. 

The Mending series is inspired by Hungarian folk art’s stories of connection and identity through embroidery, as well as the Japanese art of kintsugi, which celebrates the beauty of imperfection and resilience through repair. Repurposing once discarded cyanotypes, Somosi integrates hand-died, hand-sewn embroidery that honors a lineage of women’s creativity and resilience, weaving together cultural tradition with broader themes of nature, womanhood, and the enduring threads of inspiration passed down through generations.